PUBLICATION
Sam Walker
January 30, 2026 (10:01 PM)
Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Wyatt Kaiser is turning the 2020 draft into a Chicago Blackhawks steal, calming the blue line when it gets loud.
Kaiser is not a headline guy, but his shifts keep showing up on the scoreboard the Hawks actually care about.
That draft slot usually buys you hope, not a nightly second-pairing defenseman.
Yet Kaiser has held that second-pair job all season, and he doesn’t look like he’s giving it back.
The contract makes it louder, even if nobody’s yelling about it.
He’s in year one of a two-year deal at a $1.7 million cap hit, and he’s already playing above the price tag.
The sneaky stat is how often he wins chaos in his own end.
Wyatt Kaiser is stabilizing the Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks fans are tired of moral victories, so a defender who simply ends shifts cleanly feels like oxygen.
Kaiser leads the entire NHL with 101 defensive-zone puck battles, and he’s the only player over 100 so far.
That matters because he’s not some 6-foot-5 wall; he’s 6’0 and still coming out with pucks.
Chicago also starts him in the defensive zone a ton, fourth-most on the team’s blue line by defensive-zone draw percentage.
He keeps paying it off by drawing calls, with 12 penalties drawn, second-most among Blackhawks defensemen.
He’s not ducking shots either, with 46 blocks that fit the role he’s leaned into.
The takeaway count pops too, 25 takeaways, and no other Chicago defenseman has even hit 20.
He’s also a regular penalty killer, and he’s logging over 19 minutes a night between those hard assignments.
There’s enough offense to keep teams honest, too, with 5-7-12 on the season.
As of Friday, the Blackhawks sit at 21-24-9, and their margin for error is thin, so “boring” defense is gold.
If Kaiser stays this steady, that 81st pick starts looking like one of the smartest moves of the rebuild.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
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Chicago Blackhawks may have gotten the quietest steal of the 2020 NHL draft
Is Wyatt Kaiser the Chicago Blackhawks’ quiet 2020 Draft steal?