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<\/p>\nGrading a team such as the Chicago Blackhawks is a tricky proposition. Do you grade their play in a vacuum, or factor in their team-wide deficiencies and management\u2019s overarching plan? Is it fair to measure them against the likes of the Colorado Avalanche or the Dallas Stars, or is it only realistic to measure them against each other, given how wide the talent gap is? Do you grade on a curve because of their youth, or do you grade them harshly so there\u2019s room for those scores to grow as the players themselves grow?<\/p>\n
The fact is, the Blackhawks finished 31st in the league for the third straight season. They had a minus-62 goal differential. They were poor defensively and largely punchless offensively. It would be disingenuous to lavish them with praise. But it would also be pointless to grade them solely on the numbers.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s our attempt at a holistic assessment of the 2025-26 Blackhawks, starting today with the defensemen and goalies, with the forwards to follow.<\/p>\n
Defensemen<\/p>\n
Louis Crevier: Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill fell in love with the towering Crevier early in the season, and the 6-foot-8 piece of granite rewarded his coach\u2019s belief with a breakout season. Nobody\u2019s going to confuse him with Zdeno Chara, but Crevier\u2019s length made him a viable defender, and his massive shot \u2014 and his willingness to use it \u2014 made him a surprisingly effective offensive player. At five-on-five, he was merely a minus-7, no small feat given his usage. Only Alex Vlasic faced tougher matchups all season than Crevier, and the former seventh-round pick held his own for the most part. Crevier\u2019s underlying numbers aren\u2019t pretty, but given the team he was on and the way he was used, a little grace is warranted. With two goals in the season finale, he did surpass Wyatt Kaiser for a defenseman-best seven goals on the season.<\/p>\n
Grade: B-minus<\/p>\n
Ethan Del Mastro: Del Mastro got into 19 NHL games at various points of this season, including a long stretch recently. He mostly played on the right side, his offside, in recent games. For him to play with the Blackhawks next season, he will probably have to be versatile and play wherever they need him. His on-ice analytics weren\u2019t promising this season. He was on the ice for three goals for and 14 against in five-on-five play, which was a team-low 17.65 goals-for percentage. His 36.2 expected goals percentage was also the second-worst on the team, according to Natural Stat Trick. It\u2019ll be interesting to see what the Blackhawks do with him next season. He will require waivers.<\/p>\n
Grade: D<\/p>\n
Matt Grzelcyk: By most measures, Grzelcyk was the Blackhawks\u2019 best and most reliable defender this season. Granted, it came in a somewhat sheltered role, with by far the lowest quality of competition on the team, but Grzelcyk did well in the minutes he was given. It\u2019s highly unlikely he\u2019ll be back next season, though the Blackhawks still might want to add a veteran to the mix now that Connor Murphy is in Edmonton. The question is, did Grzelcyk \u2014 who had to resort to a player tryout with the Blackhawks despite putting up 40 points with the Penguins a season ago \u2014\u00a0do enough to earn him another job on another team?<\/p>\n
Grade: C+<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Wyatt Kaiser finished second in goals among Blackhawks defensemen. (Matt Blewett \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Wyatt Kaiser: Kaiser was among the many defensemen to experience an entire season in the NHL. There were some inconsistencies in his game, but the positives outweighed the negatives. His analytics for carries leading to defensive exits and retrievals leading to exits ranked first among the team\u2019s defensemen. He was also second in goals among the defensemen. He thinks there is more offense in his game. On the flip side, he was on the ice for the second-most five-on-five goals. Some of that can be attributed to playing with Artyom Levshunov. Later in the season, Kaiser and Sam Rinzel had much better numbers together. Kaiser had a minus-20 goal differential with Levshunov and was at plus-three with Rinzel.<\/p>\n
Grade: B<\/p>\n
Kevin Korchinski: Korchinski played just 13 NHL games this season. His development hasn\u2019t moved as quickly as the Blackhawks hoped. Korchinski was certainly impacted on and off the ice during the 2023-24 season, as he\u00a0<\/a>recently opened up about<\/a>. His recent nine-game NHL stint was one of his more promising ones in the last few seasons. The Blackhawks were often driving offense with him out there and weren\u2019t getting scored on as much. He would require waivers next season, so it\u2019s likely they will find a spot for him in the lineup.<\/p>\n Grade: C<\/p>\n Artyom Levshunov: The Blackhawks decided to develop Levshunov in the NHL this season. If he were hidden in Rockford or even back in college, the perception of him would likely be different. Whether Levshunov was ready for a full NHL season is debatable. Analytically, he was one of the worst defensemen in the league this season. It doesn\u2019t seem fair to lump his whole season together. There were some really bad stretches and some stretches where he made high-end offensive plays and was better in his own end. His reset before the Olympic break had a positive effect. He was also the fourth-youngest everyday defenseman in the league this season. The Blackhawks do need him to take steps next season and be more consistent. Part of it might be finding the right partner for him. His analytics were much better with Grzelcyk than Kaiser.<\/p>\n Grade:\u00a0C<\/p>\n Sam Rinzel: Rinzel set the bar extremely high with how he played late last season. It was unlikely he was going to remain at that level, but it was still a disappointing and frustrating season for him, especially being sent to Rockford for a 23-game stint. He was better when he returned to the NHL. He and the Blackhawks would like more offense from him. Neither Levshunov nor Rinzel was able to take control of the top unit\u2019s power-play quarterback. Rinzel had just one assist on the power play despite playing the second most of any defenseman.<\/p>\n Grade: C<\/p>\n Alex Vlasic: Vlasic hasn\u2019t trended toward being the shutdown defenseman he looked like he was going to be after his breakout 2023-24 season. His defensive analytics have declined over the last two seasons. This season was his worst at even strength, according to Evolving Hockey\u2019s model. He was the second-best even-strength defenseman in the 2023-24 season. He was tied for 249th this season. He was placed in slightly more defensive situations, and the Blackhawks just weren\u2019t able to get out of the defensive zone enough with him on the ice. He and Crevier as a pairing was a mixed bag. One of the challenges of putting them together is moving the puck at times. It\u2019s not surprising that Crevier was on the ice 129 times the Blackhawks committed icing this season and Vlasic was on the ice for 142. To compare, Connor Murphy was on the ice for 96 icing this season. Vlasic\u2019s overall analytics were better with Rinzel, but Vlasic\u2019s usage is more often in offensive situations when playing with Rinzel.<\/p>\n Grade: C<\/p>\n Goalies<\/p>\n Spencer Knight: Knight got a taste of being a No. 1 goalie late last season and experienced a full season this year. His 55 games were the most he had played in a season. Early on, he was among the league\u2019s best and was among the main reasons why the Blackhawks exceeded expectations. His numbers dropped over time. Still, he finished 14th in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck, and 22nd with a .902 save percentage (min. 20 starts). The NHL league average for save percentage was .896 this season. A young defense and condensed schedule were challenging for both goalies, especially late in the season. If Knight can maintain this level or a little higher, the Blackhawks can probably feel good about his future.<\/p>\n Grade: B<\/p>\n Arvid S\u00f6derblom: S\u00f6derblom had some really good performances this season, but the problem is that there were more bad ones than good ones. Whoever is going to back up Knight, the Blackhawks need at least someone who is around the average among No. 2 goalies. S\u00f6derblom was 25th in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes among goalies who started between 20 and 39 games and 30th in save percentage at .880 among those same goalies. It didn\u2019t help that the Blackhawks gave up a ton of chances with him in net.<\/p>\n Grade: C-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Grading a team such as the Chicago Blackhawks is a tricky proposition. 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