Luke Richardson faced mountains of obstacles during his first season as Blackhawks coach.
The Patrick Kane trade rumors. Jonathan Toews’ prolonged absence. A 4-23-4 stretch from late October to early January.
As trying as that campaign was, though, this one has reached a Mt. Everest-type level with Corey Perry’s dismissal, another sexual abuse lawsuit and a spate of injuries that landed Connor Bedard (broken jaw), Nick Foligno (broken finger), Seth Jones and six others on injured reserve.
So how does Richardson deal with all this adversity?
“Exercise and wine,” he deadpanned. “I’m not lying.”
Blackhawks center Colin Blackwell shoots during Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Associated Press
The witty and honest response cracked up a room full of reporters as Fifth Third Arena after Saturday’s practice, but what’s going on is hardly a laughing matter.
Bedard will miss at least a month, Foligno may not return for 2-4 weeks, Tyler Johnson is in a walking boot and nobody knows when Andreas Athanasiou will finally recover from a nagging groin injury.
The Hawks did get Taylor Raddysh and Joey Anderson back for Tuesday’s game against Edmonton at the United Center, and they also placed Rem Pitlick on the top line. Pitlick was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The Oilers (21-15-1) extended their winning streak to eight games with a 2-1 victory, getting goals from Leon Draisaitl (19) and Connor McDavid (15). Jason Dickinson opened the scoring at 5:52 of the first period, but the Hawks (12-27-2) lost for the 11th time in 15 games.
While the injuries have severely depleted the Hawks’ roster, they’ve also created opportunities for forwards like Pitlick, Zach Sanford (acquired off waivers), Boris Katchouk (recalled from Rockford) and defensemen Jaycob Megna (waiver claim), Filip Roos, Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier.
“My first NHL game I was 25,” said Colin Blackwell, whose 3-point night on Sunday helped produce a stunning 4-3 upset over Calgary. “There’s always people watching and you never know. You can impress the right people and that’s what I’ve told some of the guys because that’s how my career went.”
The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Pitlick scored 15 goals in 92 games for Montreal from 2021-23, but spent all of this season with the Penguins’ AHL team. Richardson, who was with the Canadiens as an assistant in 2021-22, said he put Pitlick on the top line to take advantage of his high-end skill.
“He’s a fast, dynamic player,” Richardson said. “If he’s not there, I don’t know if it’s the right place for him to be on the fourth line at the NHL level. So that’s why I’m sure Pittsburgh had him playing there … ready to go in case you lose someone in the top six. He’s the type of guy that can step in and do that.”
Pitlick, who hails from Ottawa, was taken by Nashville in the third round of the 2016 draft. He only played 11 games for the Predators before moving on to the Minnesota Wild (20 games in 2021-22) and the Canadiens.
Now the 26-year-old hopes to impress on a team desperate for goal scoring.
“I’m really excited,” Pitlick said. “I’m looking for an opportunity to play in the NHL. I believe that I can do it. To be a part of this franchise, I’ve been part of a few — Montreal more specifically — that are Original Six.
“But there’s a lot of stuff going on here in Chicago, so I’m pumped.”
Pitlick had a fairly quiet night until the third period when he almost tipped in a pass with the Hawks on the power play. He followed that up with a point-blank shot that was staved off by goalie Stuart Skinner. Then, with 15:04 remaining, Pitlick rifled a shot that clanged off the left post.
“He did excellent,” Richardson said. “He’s coming into a new environment and it’s a tough team to play against. … He did a good job back-checking and being a good two-way player. That’s what I remember: He’s responsible, but he’s got stick skills and speed that can helps us.”
The Hawks are at Winnipeg on Thursday then return home to face Dallas on Saturday.
Tip-ins:
Defenseman Seth Jones, out since December 10 with a shoulder injury, should be able to return soon. Coach Luke Richardson wants to get Jones through at least one practice “with some bumping.” … The Hawks assigned defenseman Louis Crevier to Rockford.