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.

1. Will Nikita Zadorov become a reliable top-four player?

As of now, I do not think so. Nikita Zadorov has been anything but fantastic this season. While it is hard to dislike the play of a defenseman that has 66 hits through 16 games, he has not been great in his own end.

When trading a player like Brandon Saad getting a top-four defenseman in return would have been nice, but so far this season, Zadorov has looked more like a sixth defenseman. Zadorov is averaging 18:30 minutes of ice time a game, and his 11 penalty minutes is second-best on the team at this time.

Zadorov’s penalties the past few games have not been significant, they have cost the team in some bad situations, and honestly, I would not mind seeing the team give a different player an opportunity and scratch Zadorov for a game.

The main issue is that Zadorov provides a physicality level that this team is missing from their other players. Zadorov leads the team in hits by almost 30 at this point, and considering the team is pairing him with the young rookies that are a little undersized, his physicality is needed.

In the long run, I do not think Zadorov stays with the team. This season has already changed the direction of the Blackhawks rebuild a little. While the team should remain focused on their long-term success, some of the pieces brought in this offseason should be back.

Mattias Janmark could be an effective forward on this team, and he is going to be due for a pay raise if he keeps playing at the level he has through the first 16 games. Besides that, locking in Zadorov with a lot of money will take away from the next round of contracts this team will have to give out to players like Boqvist Kurashev, Suter, Kampf, and Dach in the next few years.

Please feel free to comment on what you think Zadorov’s role will be with the team.

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.