The Future of The Chicago Blackhawks’ Blue Line in 2021 and Beyond

As we continue reviewing the Blackhawks and the decisions they need to make this offseason, one of the biggest deficiencies on the ice has been the play of their Defensemen as a group. In this review, we will take a look at the future of that position group, and whether they are prepared to field a playoff-caliber defensive roster.

When the ‘Hawks won their 3 Stanley Cups, there were a number of reasons for their success. But without solid play from their defense, those Cups would have been a lot harder to win, if they were to win them at all. There were high-end defensemen on those teams. The names are discussed in reverent tones: guys like Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Niklas Hjalmarsson.

There were several players who filled key roles, guys like Johnny Oduya, Dustin Byfuglien, Brian Campbell, and I am sure others who I am leaving out. Having 3 capable pairs of defensemen is critical to maintaining competitiveness. But you also need that “shutdown” pairing, that can frustrate and limit the top lines of your opponents.

As an example, let’s look at the defensive pairings of the Tampa Bay Lightning, last year’s Stanley Cup Champion, and a favorite to repeat this season. Their 3 LD all played over 21 minutes per game this season, while alternating partners in some cases, while their RD ranged from 13:33 (Rutta) to 19:40 (Cernak) of ice time

Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonough, and Mikhail Sergachev anchor this defensive unit. Any one of the three could be considered a top 4 Defenseman on most teams, and one of them is always on the ice throughout the game. All 3 of them contribute in all 200 feet of ice and make the Lightning extremely tough to play against.

Their counterparts on the right side are not nearly as well-regarded. Jan Rutta, Erik Cernak, David Savard, Cal Foote, and Luke Schenn have all played a role this season, plus a few other short call-ups. None of them would be players that other teams would seek out to bolster their Defensive group, but it helps illustrate the point that if you have an elite D-man, their partner can be average, and the pairing can still perform at a high level.

To get back to perennial contention, the ‘Hawks need to have 2-4 very good-to-elite defensemen on their team. Right now, they would struggle to meet that criteria. So what do they have on the roster currently, and what’s coming through the pipeline that can help them get to this level? Or will they need to bring in more talent to the organization to get to that level?

We will take a look at all of the key Defensemen in the Blackhawks organization, and determine whether they are future building blocks, future role players, or if they will find themselves elsewhere, either in Rockford or with another organization.

Main Roster Defensemen

The ‘Hawks have a pretty deep roster of D-men right now, as several young players got a chance to gain experience this past season. And there are several holdovers from past years that are still there and performing at various levels of play. We’ll start there. As such, we will leave out Brent Seabrook, who has indicated he will not be able to play again due to repeated injuries.

Duncan Keith, LD: Keith is the very model of D-man that you need to anchor your position group on a contending team. He was an elite defender for a decade, excelling for the ‘Hawks in his own zone, and contributing in all other zones. Having won multiple Norris Trophies, he was the gold standard in Chicago for D-men. However, he is not the same player he was at nearly 38 years old.

He still logs heavy minutes but is wearing down, and showing some signs of age. He will be a member of this D-corps until his contract is up at the end of the 2022-2023 season, at which point, I think he will seriously consider retirement.

The player he is now doesn’t fit as a future piece, unless as a role player or 3rd pairing mentor, as he will be 40 at the end of his contract, and it is likely his body won’t allow him to keep up with the standard he sets for himself. I believe he will retire at the end of his deal.

Connor Murphy, RD: Murphy has emerged as the top defensive defenseman in the ‘Hawks organization. He is clearly their best right-side defender, and has continuously improved over the last few years to become someone the coaching staff can rely on in all situations. He has great size at 6’4, 212 lbs, something the Hawks don’t have a lot of on their roster right now.

He averaged a career-best 19:31 per game of ice time, showing his ascension towards the “shutdown” D-man this team needs. He is certainly not an elite defenseman, but he is a very good one, and still has opportunity to play smarter and get better. At 28 years old, he still has a few prime years left in him.

His contract is up after the 2021-22 season, at which point the ‘Hawks will need to make a decision. Based on what he has shown he can do, I think the ‘Hawks need to build their D-corps around Murphy and other top contributors, so I view him as a Building Block for the Blackhawks Future D

Calvin DeHaan/Riley Stillman LD: I am grouping them together because I believe that one of them will be selected in the Seattle Expansion Draft, as discussed here. They are both LD, although DeHaan is comfortable playing on either side. DeHaan is a little more polished, but has an injury history. Stillman came on after his trade to the ‘Hawks, and surprised a lot of people with his defensively responsible play and decision-making.

The ‘Hawks signed Stillman to a 3-year contract extension for modest money ($1.35M per season per Cap Friendly), indicating that they view him as a future piece that can help them. He is 7 years younger than DeHaan, which leads me to believe they will push to get DeHaan selected in the expansion draft.

Stillman may not be a “traditional” top pairing guy, but I see him as a Role Player for the Hawks moving forward, and could be paired with Murphy to give them a shutdown duo in future seasons.

Adam Boqvist, RD: Boqvist was drafted early in the first round in 2018 (#8 overall), and was billed as a future star on the ‘Hawks blue line. He is projected to be a future Power Play Quarterback and a solid 200 ft defenseman. So far, he has had moments that excite you about his potential, and moments that make you wonder whether the ‘Hawks missed the boat entirely on Boqvist.

In short, he is a typical young, developing defenseman. Duncan Keith went through similar struggles early in his career, but they are different types of players. Boqvist is more the puck-moving, offensive defenseman, whereas Keith was a true 2-way D-man, even better in his own zone than in the offensive zone.

Boqvist is a Building Block Player for the organization, but he needs to make some major strides this upcoming season to deliver on the promise of his draft position and to make it clear what the ‘Hawks should do with him coming out of his entry-level contract.

In The Pipeline Defensemen

Once we start digging into the D-men not on the main roster, we start seeing a lot of different styles and levels of player. However, one thing is clear; there are a large group of Left-Shot Defensemen who are part of the organization, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Not a lot of depth on the right side, which explains the heavy reliance on Boqvist and Mitchell to develop and become long-term contributors to the ‘Hawks.

Nicolas Beaudin, LD: Beaudin came on board in the same draft as Adam Boqvist (2018), and was a similar type player as an offensive-minded D-man, but on the left, where Boqvist and Ian Mitchell play the right side. He made his debut at the end of the 2019-2020 season in 1 game, and then played 19 games in the 2020-2021 season for the Hawks.

Beaudin showed some decent angle use and positioning in his own zone this past season with the ‘Hawks, and showed he could use his body pretty well. He’s never going to be a hitter, but he can close off lanes, and tie up opponents in the D-zone, which when done correctly, can be a very effective disruptor to the opposing teams’ offense.

Beaudin held his own, albeit with some struggles, in his first extended action at the NHL level. I think he needs more time in Rockford to gain confidence and hone his craft, but as an Offensive LD, I see him as a future Role Player for the Blackhawks.

Isaak Phillips, LD: Phillips was a 2020 5th round pick of the ‘Hawks, and he played this past season in Rockford on a minor contract, as the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) faced an uncertain season. He signed his ELC at the end of March of 2021, and will be going into next season on a ‘Hawks contract.

Phillips is a bigger Defenseman, at 6’2″ and over 190 lbs. He is a good skater, very athletic, and can play a 2-way game. The initial thought when he was drafted was that he would spend at least 1 (likely 2) years in the OHL before turning pro. Getting a year of experience in Rockford hopefully got him used to the pro game, without damaging his confidence.

Phillips has the potential to be a contributor over the long haul, especially with the size and athleticism he brings to the ice. I view him as a potential Role Player for the Hawks long-term, starting in 2023 or 2024.

Alex Vlasic, LD: Drafted in the second round of 2019 (43 overall), Vlasic is another big body on the left side that brings a different element to the ‘Hawks blue line. At a towering 6’5″, and nearly 200 lbs, he stands out among ‘Hawks prospects. Drafted out of the US NDTP team, he moved on to Boston University, and has played for them the last 2 seasons.

While the strength of his game is in the defensive end, utilizing his reach and size to full advantage, he has been improving his skating and offensive play. Larger D-men like Vlasic take a little longer to develop because they have to learn to not only use their size, but work with their size to effectively react to much smaller, quicker players. If Vlasic is able to do that, he could be a rare player in the Blackhawks organization.

I believe based on his draft position, and his development, that Vlasic is a future Building Block player for the D-corps. I could see him making his NHL debut in 2022-2023, and competing for a full time role in 2023-2024.

Wyatt Kaiser, LD: Kaiser, a 3rd Round Pick in the 2020 draft (#81 overall), was drafted straight out of high school into the ‘Hawks organization. He has decent size at 6’0″, and a little over 170 lbs. He is currently attending the University of Minnesota – Duluth, where he has quickly gained the trust of the coaching staff, being deployed in all situations, and playing heavy minutes.

Kaiser is strong in his own end, using his strong skating and effective use of angles to make it very difficult to play against him.  On the offensive side, his skating and passing are very good, but he is still developing as a player in the offensive zone.

In 2-3 years, I believe Kaiser will be the top D prospect in the ‘Hawks organization. He has the potential to develop into a top-pairing D-man in the future, and could be a Building Block for the team into the latter half of this decade.

Others In The System

There are others in the pipeline that we either don’t know much about, or are not projected to be in the ‘Hawks plans over the next 3 years. These include:

Michael Krutil, RD: played 21 games in Rockford this past season, as the WHL season was in doubt. Bigger body, still young and developing. Potential Role Player in the future. Not currently on an ELC.

Stanislav (Slava) Demin, LD: Teammate of Ian Mitchell at the University of Denver, acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. Long term developmental prospect. Not currently on an ELC.

Louis Crevier, RD: 7th round Draft Pick in 2020, great size at 6’8″ 210 lbs. Showed surprising offensive contribution the last two seasons, and needs to improve his movement skills, and not rely on his reach and size too much. Long term developmental prospect. Not currently on an ELC

Final Analysis

The Blackhawks have multiple solid players on the Right Side in the NHL right now in Murphy and the still-developing Boqvist, and some solid young depth behind Duncan Keith on the left side in Kalynuk and Stillman. Their prospect pool is deep on the left, and not so much on the right. There is potential for several of their prospects to develop into regular NHL contributors (Vlasic, Kaiser, Mitchell, Beaudin).

If they are looking for the next Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, or Niklas Hjalmarsson, that list gets considerably shorter.  Because what you are looking for there is an elite D-man who could be in the Norris Trophy conversation in their prime. In my opinion, Kaiser and Vlasic are the only ones who have the potential to garner that level of confidence for the future.

Chicago Blackhawks Grades: Duncan Keith 2021 Report Card

So will the Hawks have the 2-4 very-good-to-elite defensemen on their team necessary to compete for the Stanley Cup? I believe they will in 2023-2024, and if they can add a piece in the short term, maybe sooner. The future is is bright on the Blue Line, but patience is necessary to see it come to fruition.