Luke Richardson is expected to become the new head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, an NHL source confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
Richardson would replace interim coach Derek King, who went 27-33-10 after taking over for Jeremy Colliton 12 games into the season. Richardson, an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens, was offered the head-coaching job this week, sources said.
The Blackhawks are waiting on some contract details to be finalized, and the expectation is that Richardson will be formally announced as the coach next week.
Daily Faceoff first reported on Richardson’s expected hiring.
Richardson, 53, has been an assistant coach on the Canadiens’ bench for four seasons, working with three different head coaches. Before that, he was the head coach of the AHL Binghamton Senators, the top affiliate for the Ottawa Senators, from 2012 to 2016 and worked as an assistant for Ottawa and the New York Islanders.
In the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, Richardson took over the Canadiens bench when coach Dominique Ducharme entered the NHL COVID-19 protocol. He went 3-3 and guided the Canadiens past the Vegas Golden Knights to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Ducharme returned for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, which the Canadiens lost in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Richardson played 21 years in the NHL as a rugged defenseman, most prominently with the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers.
The move would leave the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets as the only teams without a head coach.