I was reading [this article from The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/4359575/2023/03/29/chicago-blackhawks-lottery-stars/?source=user_shared_article) and saw some stats that were mindblowing:
>”Bringing in Nikita Zaitsev at the deadline seems to be one of the reasons why the Blackhawks have struggled throughout March.
>With him on the ice in five-on-five play in 13 games with the Blackhawks, opponents have a 229-100 advantage in shot attempts, 118-48 in shots on goal, 115-50 in scoring chances, 45-12 in high-danger chances and 11-5 in goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. His 25.64 expected goals percentage is the lowest any of Blackhawks player with a minimum of 10 games this season.
>Zaitsev is signed for next season, so it’ll be interesting to see where he fits into the defensive picture.”
This is all very impressive work from Zaitsev but we also need to give major props to Davidson for acquiring a 2nd round pick this year *and* a future 4th *and* Zaitsev to help correct the tank after a Kane-lead 4-game win streak.
Truly outstanding the way Kyle has consistently ensured this team is terrible.
3 comments
Beyond just shitting on poor Zaitsev, I also wanted to post this because the last quoted line got me thinking about next season.
I would expect us to still be very bad next year but we’ll no longer be tanking – next year (should) start the turn to relying more on the younger guys, inserting them into better positions in the lineup, and actually making strides towards winning again.
With that said, I am wondering what the blueline is even going to look like? Here is who we have signed through next season that is on the roster right now:
– S. Jones
– Murphy
– Zaitsev
– Kaiser
– Vlasic
Plus two pending RFAs in:
– C. Jones
– Mitchell
—-
And then notable non-roster players include:
– Korchsinki
– Roos
– Phillips
– Del Mastro
– Allen
Plus RFAs in:
– Regula
– Galvas
—-
So a lot of these guys will probably be full time or split time in Rockford next season, but who do we think will become a staple in Chicago?
Right now, Seth Jones and Murphy seem like the only obvious ones to me. Zaitsev probably plays a lot but what does Richardson do if any of the younger guys start outplaying him, will he be confident enough to consistently scratch Nikita? I’m not so sure, but with so much young talent needing opportunities at the NHL level I am hopeful someone like Zaitsev or whatever other veteran we pick up/call up will be scratched if the young guys can prove they deserve that spot.
I would assume one or both of Caleb Jones/Mitchell are gone before next season starts, but do we think Korchinski, Allen, or Del Mastro will be ready for the NHL next year? From how dominant he’s been all year, I hope Korchinski at least gets his nine games.
Buying out his contract after this year also helps us reach the cap floor next season.
He’s literally the gift that keeps on giving.
GMKD playing 8 dimensional chess to get Bedard. It’s a lottery so fingers crossed but fans should appreciate this effort