Blackhawks Daily: Value in Coaching Change Shock?

The St. Louis Blues rid themselves of a coach when they fired Craig Berube, insisting that it was the bench boss and not other flaws in the design holding the team back. Perhaps emboldened by how such changes have helped other teams this offseason, it’s a chance of whether it will work or not.

Are there other teams in similar spots? The Pittsburgh Penguins are certainly one spot, but head coach Mike Sullivan is fine….for now. A win last night helps matters and keeps it another day away from asking the questions again. This all coming after an offseason designed to keep the window open.

The Detroit Red Wings, who made a coaching change two offseasons ago, are scoring at will but demonstrate that an offensive retooling was necessary after icing a team that struggled to score goals.

The Florida Panthers, who gutted its way to a Stanley Cup Final appearance last year, benefitted from a coaching change with Paul Maurice at the helm. But now they’re struggling to score goals as well.

Once upon a time–the Blackhawks fired Joel Quenneville to open the door to Jeremy Colliton. Hindsight shows that not only wasn’t it anything that really moved the needle, but that roster decisions ultimately brought the team down.

Is there a right answer? One can only guess. But St. Louis is hoping for the returns other teams have gotten from making mid-season changes.

Blackhawks in Case You Missed It

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• The red hot Oilers send the Blackhawks to their second straight loss
• To claim or not to claim? The Blackhawks and the waiver wire

Hockey Now Western Conference Wrap

Colorado Hockey Now: When doesn’t Nathan MacKinnon wow his coach? Apparently the Colorado Avalanche star continues to find ways to impress his bench boss–and the team.

San Jose Hockey Now: A look at how William Eklund has improved for the San Jose Sharks