Three reasons the Blackhawks had to send down Nicolas Beaudin to AHL

2. Development takes time

Beaudin played well when he was with the ‘Hawks. Just imagine where he will be next season when he has another year of pro hockey under his belt. The 21-year-old took a big leap in development last season to this season. Now that he has had some success in the NHL, that leap in skill could be even greater next year.

Beaudin is only averaging 14:03 minutes a night in the NHL. Those numbers are not horrible, but they are also not great. The ‘Hawks want their rookies getting ice time, which is not happening right now for Beaudin. Now in the AHL, he can focus on his play and get plenty of ice time as he is one of the best defensemen they have on their team now.

3. A little competition wouldn’t hurt

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Beaudin going back down to the AHL might light a fire under the young defenseman. Not everything is going to be handed to Beaudin and now he has to work his way back to the top. It is interesting to think he is going from the Blackhawks’ top power play to the AHL in a matter of a week.

All the success came so quickly for Beaudin after his call-up, and it went away just as quickly when the team sent him down. Beaudin’s reassignment to the Icehogs is not something Blackhawks fans would normally see. Usually, Chicago would keep players like Beaudin on their NHL roster no matter what due to their skill, but during a rebuild when the focus is on developing their young players, Beaudin finds himself back in Rockford working to take his game to the next step.

In his first game with the Icehogs this season, Beaudin registered an assist. Collin Delia on the other hand gave up six goals on 30 shots during his first game with the Icehogs this season. Delia is currently on a conditioning stint with the team.