Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach Derek King was brutally honest following his team's 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday.
"Eventually, that's the kind of team we want to be. Obviously, we're not there. ... We competed. We do. We try. We just can't compete with that type of team," he said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. "We're not there. We don't have the players for it."
The game was tied 2-2 heading into the second period, but the Lightning eventually overpowered the Blackhawks. Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 43-23 and controlled 76.39% of the expected goals and 68.29% of the shot attempts at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
Former Blackhawk Brandon Hagel was among the Lightning players to score, sealing the victory with an empty-netter.
"I was ready to run out on the ice and tackle (Hagel) myself. You could see it coming," King said, per the Chicago Tribune's Phillip Thompson.
He added: "Obviously, we miss a guy like that, but happy for him that he's on a team like this. He might have a chance to win a Stanley Cup, so good for him."
The Blackhawks dealt Hagel and two fourth-round draft picks to the Lightning prior to the March 21 deadline in exchange for a pair of first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, as well as forwards Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk.
Shortly after the move, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said the trade marked the clear start of a rebuild.
The Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015 but have struggled in recent years. They've made the playoffs just once over the last four seasons and currently sit in seventh place in the Central Division with a 24-35-10 record.
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