Hawks looking to keep King around
Derek King has been displaced from the Blackhawks’ head-coaching role by Luke Richardson, but he might remain with the organization.
General manager Kyle Davidson said Wednesday at Richardson’s introductory news conference that he would work with King, who went 27-33-10 as the Hawks’ popular interim coach this past season, to find a suitable new role for him.
‘‘It was a tough spot for Derek to step into in his first foray as an [NHL] head coach, so we thought he did excellent,’’ Davidson said. ‘‘Derek’s someone we really appreciate and we really value, so there’s going to be a process moving forward where we do try to keep Derek in the fold. Because we’re looking to bring high-character people into the organization, and Derek is that.’’
It’s possible King could regain his American Hockey League coaching job. Rockford interim coach Anders Sorensen did well this past season, but he hasn’t had his interim tag removed yet, and King admitted he always had seen himself in the past as best-suited to be a minor-league coach.
A role as an assistant coach on Richardson’s staff or another job in the front office, development team or scouting department are possibilities, too.
Talking trades
Davidson emphasized again he’s willing to entertain trade offers for every Hawks player but the three — Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Seth Jones — who have no-trade clauses.
‘‘It would be unwise to do anything but,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re not going to force anything. We’re not going to do something just to do something. But it’s incumbent on us to listen to what’s out there, what the interest is and see if that can help us moving forward.’’
Approaching the draft next week in Montreal, Davidson admitted he has some ‘‘ideas’’ about potential trades. Wing Alex DeBrincat is almost certainly included in some of them, although Davidson shied away from naming him specifically.
One objective will be trying to acquire a first-round pick, and there are several — including the Devils’ No. 2 and the Senators’ No. 7 selections — that might be available. The Wild on Wednesday acquired the
No. 19 pick from the Kings in a trade for wing Kevin Fiala.
Still, Davidson isn’t writing anything down in pen.
‘‘If you’re trying to make something happen, that’s maybe where you get into trouble; you make a mistake,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ll see what’s there. If we can get into the first round, absolutely, we’d like to. But it just might not be available to us, so we’ll see what comes.’’