{"id":539290,"date":"2026-04-03T22:53:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T22:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/539290\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T22:53:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T22:53:16","slug":"will-the-blackhawks-penalty-kill-remain-a-team-strength-next-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/539290\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the Blackhawks’ penalty kill remain a team strength next season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE \u2014 When the Blackhawks<\/a>\u2019 penalty kill was dominating opposing power plays earlier this season, players were quick to credit coach Jeff Blashill\u2019s effective system for its success.<\/p>\n

But Blashill, in turn, was quick to credit<\/a> the Hawks\u2019 excellent penalty-killers for its success. <\/p>\n

That latter attribution seems accurate in retrospect, considering how substantially the unit has worsened since two of its three most important members \u2014 Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson \u2014 were traded<\/a>, leaving only Ilya Mikheyev behind.<\/p>\n

The Hawks\u2019 penalty kill somehow still ranks No. 1 in the NHL with an 83.6% kill rate, but since the March 6 trade deadline, they rank 27th at 73.8%. They\u2019ve allowed a goal in nine of 15 games during that span, including the last four straight.<\/p>\n

Some of those goals have been unlucky, such as Matt Savoie\u2019s power-play tally Thursday<\/a> for the Oilers, owners of the league\u2019s best power play. It deflected in off Hawks defenseman Alex Vlasic\u2019s skate in the crease.<\/p>\n

But the stats mirror the results. Through March 5, the Hawks\u2019 penalty kill had allowed the sixth-fewest shot attempts and ninth-fewest shots on goal per minute. Since then, they\u2019ve allowed the 12th-most shot attempts and second-most shots on goal per minute.<\/p>\n

Among the forwards, Dickinson\u2019s departure forced Ryan Greene into a bigger role. Analytics show Greene has struggled, allowing the most shots and goals per minute among regular killers.<\/p>\n

Among the defensemen, Murphy\u2019s departure transferred more duties onto Louis Crevier, Artyom Levshunov (pre-injury) and now Ethan Del Mastro (post-Levshunov injury).<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Hawks did generate a breakaway and two-on-one rush shorthanded, but the Oilers\u2019 power play nonetheless produced nine shots on goal.<\/p>\n

Del Mastro allowed one seam pass through him that Murphy probably would\u2019ve blocked. Crevier later got away with aggressively joining a rush, but he looked discombobulated upon returning to the defensive zone and ended up losing his position.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Jets\u2019 power-play goal resulted from Landon Slaggert\u2019s poor decision to pass backward on a rush, which Blashill dismissed as an individual error. But Blashill did examine more closely what allowed the Jets to generate two consecutive shot-tips.<\/p>\n

Blashill has opted not to tweak the overall penalty-killing system, though, after evaluating what new weaknesses might be created by any adjustments to cover current weaknesses.<\/p>\n

For clarification, the Hawks employ a variation on a \u201cpush-down\u201d system with two defensemen stationed near the net while two forwards skate around and pressure the puck.<\/p>\n

\u201cPenalty kill is one of those things where there\u2019s just so many different nuances,\u201d Blashill said recently. \u201cWe certainly have our structure, but I don\u2019t know any way to learn it without going through it. And so they\u2019re getting those reps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said Slaggert: \u201cIt comes down to execution and playing on our toes. When we force them to make plays under pressure, we have a lot of success. If we continue to do that, we\u2019ll get right back to where we were.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of this raises a far more important question: Will the Hawks\u2019 penalty kill remain a team strength next season?<\/p>\n

If it doesn\u2019t, the Hawks\u2019 26th-ranked power play will have to improve by an equivalent amount to pick up the slack.<\/p>\n

One X-factor is whether Mikheyev, who has become one of the best killers in the league, re-signs or not. General manager Kyle Davidson has publicly stated his desire to do that, but no contract offer has been accepted yet.<\/p>\n

Aside from Mikheyev, the personnel isn\u2019t likely to change much over the summer, so these young killers will have to improve. The Hawks\u2019 quest to find a new shutdown defensive center (essentially a Dickinson replacement<\/a>) within their young forwards intertwines with this discussion.<\/p>\n

Blashill\u2019s system, which previously worked wonders with the Lightning, will be put to the test, too. Exactly how much of the credit does it deserve?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Nick<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The inevitable outcome is now guaranteed following a 3-1 defeat Thursday in the opener of the Hawks\u2019 final road trip of the season.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Connor<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Murphy put it simply on Thursday in Edmonton: \u201cWinning feels so good. Losing is very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
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read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Anton<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

After burying his first goal Tuesday against the Jets, Frondell is the first Hawks rookie with five points in his first five games since Artemi Panarin in 2015.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
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