While Blashill had an underwhelming seven-year stay with Detroit, finishing with a 204-261-72 record, he has a player development background that likely was appealing for the rebuilding Blackhawks.

Blashill, 51, spent the past three seasons as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before that, he spent seven seasons as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-22.

The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Jeff Blashill as their next coach, the team announced on Thursday. This is Blashill's first coaching job since 2022, when he was fired by the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago is hoping that the second time around will be much different for Blashill,