The league’s worst Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson on Thursday after three seasons.

AHL Rockford IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen has been named interim head coach and will assume his duties effective immediately. The Blackhawks also named Mark Eaton, their assistant general manager who oversees player development, as interim coach in Rockford.

Richardson, 55, had a 57-118-15 record after being hired as Chicago’s coach in 2022 while the Blackhawks were in a lengthy restructuring period. He was in the final year of his three-year contract, with Chicago having an option for a fourth season.

After 26 games this season, Chicago had a record of 8-16-2, the worst in the NHL. While the Blackhawks ranked 21st in team defense (3.15 goals against per game), they were the league’s second-worst offensive team with just 2.42 goals against per game. These offensive issues impacted the season of last season’s rookie of the year, Connor Bedard, who scored just five goals in 26 games.

“As we began to make progress in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results were not meeting our expectations for a higher level of performance this season and ultimately concluded that a change was necessary,” Kyle Davidson said , Blackhawks general manager said. “We wish Luke and his family all the best for the future.”

Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said he fully supports Davidson’s decision and supports the management team in the search for the team’s next head coach.

The frustration has been palpable for the Blackhawks this season, particularly with the 19-year-old Bedard. The first pick in the 2023 NHL draft — and marketed as a franchise savior in Chicago — Bedard was tired of finding a glimmer of hope in the losses of a last-place club.

“We won’t just be happy that we stayed in a game. We are all NHL players. That’s not the goal, you know? It’s frustrating,” he said in November. “Losing is no fun, so of course we have to figure it out.”

Two weeks ago, Bedard said he felt like he could change “100 things” about his game as he was stuck in a 12-game scoreless streak.

Richardson was criticized for mixing up his text too often in search of the right mix. He made some waves in the NHL when he moved Bedard, a natural center, to the wing and played him in a more defensive role alongside forwards Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson.

“We didn’t bring him here to be a checker,” Richardson said. “But just as our team lacks scoring opportunities, we are holed up on defense until we have a little more self-confidence on offense.”

Bedard, who was left off Team Canada’s Four Nations Face-Off squad this week, has four points in his last seven games.

Richardson also drew criticism for the way he handled replacing veteran Taylor Hall, a former league MVP who is now in his 15th NHL season. Hall was surprised to get a healthy scratch because he hadn’t been told the possibility of it.

Richardson later admitted that Hall should have been given a heads-up.

“That could be part of my problem too. Sometimes you give veterans a little bit of a longer grace period,” Richardson said.

Richardson was hired in June 2022, replacing interim coach Derek King. He was an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens and spent four seasons as head coach of the Ottawa Senators’ AHL affiliate.

Sorensen is the fourth head coach under Davidson, two of whom are interim. As a head coach, he compiled a record of 117-89-16-7 in 229 career AHL games. The IceHogs have reached the playoffs in each of his three seasons as bench boss.

Previously, Sorensen was a development coach in Chicago and a bench coach for Södertälje SK of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.

This is the third coaching change of the 2024-25 NHL season.

The Boston Bruins fired Jim Montgomery on November 19 and replaced him with interim coach Joe Sacco. When Montgomery became available, the St. Louis Blues released Drew Bannister and hired Montgomery in Boston five days after his release.