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We all knew it would be a rough start to the Connor Bedard era for the Chicago Blackhawks, but while a lot of people thought this season would be a step in the right direction for the franchise that dominated the early to mid-2010s, it hasn’t been, and now head coach Luke Richardson is being shown the door.

The team announced the news on social media Thursday afternoon, the day after a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.

“Today I made the difficult decision to move on from Luke as our head coach. We thank him for his efforts and contributions to the organization and our community,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said in a statement.

“As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary. We wish Luke and his family all the best moving forward.”

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The statement also announced that Anders Sorensen — head coach of the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs — will serve as the team’s interim head coach.

The Blackhawks are currently in last place in the NHL, and while no one really expected them to be in the playoff hunt given that they’re in the midst of a rebuild, an 8-16-2 record is underwhelming.

What is even more surprising is that Bedard — the team’s star and scoring leader — has put up only 19 points in 26 games. That’s off the pace of the 61 points in 68 games he tallied last season. 

The Blackhawks expect more out of him and Bedard has been open about his struggles and frustrations this season. Perhaps this change will give him and the rest of the team the kick in the pants they need to get back on the right track as the season progresses.

On the upside, while there’s still a lot of hockey to be played, it’s hard to imagine the Blackhawks aren’t going to be in the running for the top pick in this year’s draft, which should go a long way in their rebuild.