Three questions about the Chicago Blackhawks defense

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.