The Chicago Blackhawks go safe as they pick Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 overall in the NHL Entry Draft

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson had a tough decision to make with the No. 2 overall pick.

He appeared to go with the safe bet by taking Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov rather than roll the dice on Russian forward Ivan Demidov.

Both have exciting floors however Demidov is projected to have a higher ceiling than Levshunov.

That is not to say Levshunov is a bad prospect, in fact, he might be the best defensive prospect in the draft.

He is considered one of the best blueliners in a deep draft for defensemen. He has the chance to be a star in the NHL.

His presence immediately elevated Michigan State's hockey program. Levshunov has good size and is outstanding on the offensive side of the ice.

The Blackhawks need more prospects on the blue line as Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic have graduated from prospect status.

The Hawks have just four prospects that are defensemen among their top 15 prospects according to the Athletic (a subscription is required to access this link). There is a chance Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro, and Isaak Phillips graduate from prospect status this season as the Blackhawks need to replace three veterans on the blue line.

Well, they need to upgrade from Nikita Zaitsev, Jarred Tinordi, and Jaycob Megna.

The Blackhawks could use more help from their defensive group on the offensive side. While it would have been nice to give Connor Bedard more offensive help at forward, Levshunov did have 26 assists as a freshman for the Spartans. He can help create goals even though he may not score a lot.

Plus, he comes with an outstanding personality.

Demidov would have been exciting to pair up with Bedard, the Blackhawks still have a ton of outstanding forwards in their prospect pool who have the potential to be outstanding. The Hawks have more draft picks in this draft to add offensive talent.

What the Hawks did not have was a lot of prospects who have the chance to be special on defense. That is why there is nothing wrong with the Blackhawks going the safe route.