Blackhawks won't make any front-office or coaching changes

The Chicago Blackhawks are sticking to their guns.

President John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman, and head coach Jeremy Colliton will all return next season, Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz told The Athletic's Scott Turner on Thursday.

Before the season postponement, Chicago sat last in the Central Division with 72 points in 70 games, ranking 18th in goals for and 21st in goals against.

Bowman has been the team's GM since July 2009, overseeing Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He's been applauded for retooling the club after each championship while working within the salary cap, but in recent years Bowman has drawn criticism for some trades, such as dealing Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017.

Colliton, meanwhile, replaced Joel Quenneville behind the bench early in the 2018-19 campaign. He owns a career record of 62-58-17 without a playoff appearance. With several highly regarded coaches on the open market - including Bruce Boudreau, Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, and Gerard Gallant - the Blackhawks would've been able to choose from intriguing options to replace the 35-year-old.

Chicago is in transition. Veteran leaders Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith are still performing well, but youngsters like Dominik Kubalik, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat, Kirby Dach, and Adam Boqvist fill out the roster. If the young guns can mature quickly while the veterans are still effective, the team could put together something special.

The trio of McDonough, Bowman, and Colliton will be entrusted to ensure everything aligns according to plan, at least for another season.

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