Three questions about the Chicago Blackhawks defense

The Chicago Blackhawks defense has looked a lot better this season, but there are still some questions revolving around the blue line.

For the past five years now, the Chicago Blackhawks defense has only gotten worse with time, but this season seems to be the year that changes. Through the first 16 games of the season, the Blackhawks defense has done a relatively good job at times while still relying heavily on their goaltending.

It starts with the influx of new forwards the team added this offseason. With Lucas Wallmark and Mattias Janmark, Chicago added a few new forwards that can defend well in their own end.

The past few seasons, the forwards on the Blackhawks missed out on a lot of assignments in the defensive zone, which ended up costing the team considerably. This season, the forwards are getting involved in their own end to help get the puck out and disrupt the opponent’s offense.

There have been a lot of reason for optimism on the blue line this season. Calvin de Haan looks to be in midseason form and leads the team in blocked shots. He has been great for the team defensively and has even scored a goal along the way.

The younger defensemen are starting to take the next step as well. Seeing Nicolas Beaudin come in and play as well as he has is great, same with Ian Mitchell. Those two rookies are giving Adam Boqvist a run for his money on who the top rookie is, but I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s jump in with the questions.

2. Can Adam Boqvist take his game to the next level?

This is the question of the season in my mind. While players like Ian Mitchell, Lucas Carlsson, Nicolas Beaudin, and even Madison Bowey have taken their games to the next level, Boqvist has not looked great this season.

While Boqvist has missed a lot of time due to COVID protocol, he registered only five shots through six games, and his job on the top power-play was not impressive. In recent games, Beaudin and Keith have done a better job in the position, and I do not think Boqvist will get anything handed back to him right away when he does return to play.

Last year during the playoffs, Boqvist looked like he was overwhelmed a lot with the players going up against him on the other side. It caused some mistakes that ended up turning into goals the other way. If Boqvist does not come back from his COVID pause better than he was before, maybe he would benefit from some time down in Rockford.

Considering the team does have so many young defensemen ready to play in the NHL or at least gain some NHL experience, it would not be right to keep playing Boqvist if he is not at that level. There are some ways Boqvist can fix his game when he does get back, though.

Boqvist had five shots on goal through six games. That is not very high and not good considering he was the team’s top power-play quarterback heading into the season. Boqvist needs to shoot the puck more. Boqvist also needs to be better at limiting turnovers as he and Ian Mitchell both have four giveaways this season despite Mitchell playing in ten more games.

3. What does the blue line look like next season?

The Blackhawks only have two defensemen on expiring contracts, so this team could look really similar next season. Both Lucas Carlsson and Nikita Zadorov are on expiring deals. Considering Zadorov is making 3.2 million dollars this season, I do not know how quickly I would move at handing him another contract like that.

While the defense next season might not look that different when it comes to the names involved, it will be different due to the development of some of the players. Four of the Blackhawks defensemen who have broken into the lineup this season are under 24. If they can take a step forward and take on more significant roles this team is in good shape.

Here is how the blue line should look next season.

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Duncan Keith – Ian Mitchell

Nicolas Beaudin – Connor Murphy

Calvin de Haan – Adam Boqvist

Initially, I thought that the Blackhawks should have traded Murphy or de Haan sometime this season, but due to how well the team has played, tossing aside one of those two defensemen would be a bad step for the team.

Connor Murphy has quietly become the face of this blue line being the leading defensemen ready to go when the team is trying to protect the lead. Murphy at just 27 years of age can continue to take on a prominent role on this team for years to come, and with the other young players coming up behind him, this blue line can be really good for years to come.

The foundation is there for the Blackhawks blue line, now all the team needs to do is let the young players play in some critical moments this season to let them gain some experience. It was great seeing Mitchell and Beaudin score goals as of late, as having the defense get involved in the offensive zone will only lead to great things down the line.