Luke Richardson Has A New Plan For Sam Lafferty

Luke Richardson is trying to move Sam Lafferty to the center position. Richardson has been working with Lafferty all week on trying to transition Lafferty to the center role. Richardson spoke to the media and said that «center ice is a great fit for him». With the Blackhawks lack of depth at the center position, having Lafferty up the middle adds more flexibility to the lineup on a nightly basis.

Richardson is trying to move Lafferty to center because he wants to create a high-speed checking line. Richardson is thinking of pairing Athanasiou on a line with Lafferty, which explains the need to move Lafferty. Richardson thinks that having a really good checking line that can play at a high pace will put the Blackhawks in a better position to compete against high-pace teams around the league.

If this line works out and Lafferty can play a solid center moving forward, the Blackhawks will be in a much better place having a dynamic line like that on the ice. Time will tell to see if the pairing will work out how Richardson envisioned, but I like the thought process of the new head coach.