Why this should be Coach Q’s last year!
By Sean Fitzgerald
Jun 1, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks head coach
Joel Quennevilleduring the second period in game seven of the Western Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last 6 years Coach Quenneville, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane have transformed the Blackhawks from the laughing stock of the league to a annual Stanley Cup Contender. During Coach Q’s tenure the Blackhawks have won two Stanley Cups, with his record season record in Chicago sitting at 268-127-59 and his playoff record 57-37.
Coach Q has seemingly pushed the right buttons with the Blackhawks. He has gotten the most out of his very talented teams in his last 6 years, however not everything is perfect with Coach Quenneville.
If there is one knock on Coach Q tenure in Chicago, it is his inability to trust and develop young talent.
In his first season with the Blackhawks, they were loaded with young talent but after winning their first Stanley Cup, the team had to jettison a lot of young talent.
If people want a prime example, look at his treatment of Brandon Pirri and Jeremy Morin. Pirri appeared in 35 games during his tenure with the Blackhawks.
In his 28 game stint with the Blackhawks, he averaged 12:15 minutes of ice time. Pirri was supposed to be the second line center of the future. Coach Quenneville lost faith in Pirri and had him traded to the Florida Panthers. Jeremy Morin has bounced from Chicago to Rockford too many times. Morin has offensively dominated the AHL for the two years and has never been given a fair chance with the Blackhawks.
Another young failure was Jimmy Hayes. Jimmy Hayes wasn’t even given a real chance with the Blackhawks before he was sent to Florida for the veteran Kris Versteeg. Versteeg has been a bust in his second stint with the Blackhawks.
Quenneville doesn’t have patience or trust in young talent. Another example was the playoff treatment of the recently departed Nick Leddy. Leddy would be buried on the bench during crucial third periods of the playoffs because Coach Q lost faith in him. The Blackhawks would go with five veteran Defenseman.
After this season the Blackhawks roster will be in transition. The Blackhawks have a lot of money tied up in several players over the next year: Crawford 6 million per year, Kane and Toews 10.5 each, Hossa 5.275 million, Sharp 5.9 million Bryan Bickell 4 million, Brent Seabrook 5.8 million, and Duncan Keith 5.538 million.
The final piece to the puzzle has to be the Hawks losing faith in Brandon Mashinter to fill the enforcer role and add Daniel Carcillo to the mix. Quenneville has turned into an old guy that only likes veterans and not coach anymore and develop the kids.
The Blackhawks are going to have fill in the bottom half of the roster with young inexpensive talent, and for the Hawks to be succesful after this season will take coaching not quick 45 minutes veteran practices. The salary cap for next season doesn’t even take into consideration a Brandon Saad extension.
With Coach Q’s track record of developing young talent, this should be his last year as head coach because besides the core the Blackhawks will have a lot of youngsters on the roster and we need a developer not someone stuck in his ways!
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