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An Altercation Within the Chicago Blackhawks Between Their Head Coach and Player is Cause for Concern

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Rob A.
December 27, 2023  (1:57 PM)
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Photo credit: Bleacher Nation

Defenseman Isaak Phillips is a Focal Point Amongst the Top Team Executives with His Concerning Play

Head Coach Luke Richardson has some concerns with his defensemen. Injuries to some key players like Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic have the Hawks blue line in desperate need of help. In comes Isaak Phillips on a loan since December 9th to try to fill the gap.

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Phillips has played a major role for so far this season. Partnered with Connor Murphy he is playing the challenging role of shut down defenseman.

However, Richardson has expressed disappointment with his inconsistent as highlighted in a recent article by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. It is plain to see his discomfort in the role, playing 18 minutes of ice-time per game over the last 17 games; but the team is relying on him.

"I think I'm proving myself every game," Phillips said Friday. "I can't control what they think or what anyone else thinks, but I can control how I feel and how I believe. And I think I've been solid and I can continue to get better."

With a tough season ahead of them, Phillips will continue to feel the pressure of playing against the opposition's top lines.

"He's in a tough position right now because he's trying to earn that consistency and trust from the coaching staff," Richardson said Saturday. "He's playing top minutes against teams' best players. It's hard to cultivate that while you go, and he's doing a fine job with it. But there's one or two times a game where he just bobbles a puck and it gets tangled up, and you can't do that on the ice with those guys."

Richardson added, "You can't be 50-50 in the NHL, you have to be close to 100% almost every night"

The Blackhawks will need Phillips to play with resilience and consistency on the blue line for them to have success this season.

As Read On: Hawks Insider - Blackhawks head coach and player get into major altercation

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27 DECEMBRE   |   18 ANSWERS
An Altercation Within the Chicago Blackhawks Between Their Head Coach and Player is Cause for Concern

Should the Blackhawks continue to rely on a Phillips as a top line Defenseman?

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