Explore the Chicago Blackhawks’ young defensive core and the impressive growth of Wyatt Kaiser during last season’s call-up.
The Chicago Blackhawks boast one of the youngest defensive cores in the NHL. At On Tap Sports Net, we projected Alex Vlasic and Sam Rinzel to anchor the first pair. Now, let’s turn our attention to the bottom four.
Wyatt Kaiser – Connor Murphy
Following two demotions to the Rockford IceHogs last season, Wyatt Kaiser made noticeable improvements during his final call-up in March. He was confident with the puck on breakouts, he made smart offensive zone reads, improved his gap control, and had tight defensive positioning.
Among the Blackhawks’ defensemen, Kaiser had the best goal differential relative to teammates (RelTM), 0.78 per 60, and the lowest RelTM goals against rate (-0.89/60). Kaiser wasn’t sheltered either; he started 33.97% of his shifts in the DZ and 34.65% in the NZ.
Kaiser’s strength will come from offense, but he’ll need a steady defensive presence to play safety.
Connor Murphy, 32 and entering the last year of his contract, will be an excellent safety for Kaiser. Murphy can be the stay-at-home defenseman while Wyatt Kaiser has the freedom to take risks in the offensive zone. Murphy was one of the best Blackhawks defenders with a 0.51 RelTM goal differential.
Ethan DelMastro – Artyom Levshunov
The bottom pair largely depends on who makes the cut after training camp. Artyom Levshunov may start with the Rockford IceHogs, but if he starts with Chicago, we could expect him to start on the bottom. Ideally, Levshunov will climb up the lineup to fight for Sam Rinzel’s spot, where his offensive skillset will best suit the Blackhawks.
On the left side, it could come down to either Ethan Del Mastro or Nolan Allan. Del Mastro showcased his offensive instinct by making smart reads in the OZ. In 24 games, he had the second-lowest RelTM goals against rate, -0.58/60, and he started 34.57% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
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Nolan Allan could slot here if he makes the roster out of camp. Allan struggled at times but faced a tough workload, having started 37% of his shifts in the defensive zone. He had a RelTM goals against rate of 0.47/60, one of the worst on the team.
Louis Crevier – Seventh Defensemen
Louis Crevier recently signed his two-year deal. The 6’8″ seventh-round pick can skate well for his size. Crevier’s NHL ceiling is probably as a seventh defenseman on most teams. He’ll fill this role perfectly on the Blackhawks.
Kevin Korchinski could slot here as well, depending on how training camp goes, but Davidson may let him play more in Rockford. If Korchinski does start the season on the roster, he probably starts as a seventh defenseman before working his way up to the middle pair.
What’s On Tap Next?
Chicago’s blueline is one of the most exciting aspects next season. Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov are the two most promising prospect defensemen. Next for On Tap Sports Net, we’ll take a deeper dive into the tactics that Jeff Blashill may use for his new team.
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