Why the Chicago Blackhawks Must Draft Artyom Levshunov

When June 28th comes and goes, Kyle Davidson will draft the best player on the board for the Chicago Blackhawks. When considering Ivan Demidov, Artyom Levshunov, and Cayden Lindstrom it will quickly become clear (as presented on the prior page) that the Blackhawks need to fill that right side top pairing hole that will be there in time. Seth Jones will be above thirty years old at the start of next season and while in the early stages of a long extension he will not be the long term answer when the team (hopefully) starts winning again. Ultimately, it will be up to Jones (with a no movement clause) to want to leave Chicago. However if Davidson drafts his eventual replacement at second overall, it may speed up this eventual formality.

On Seth Jones, he is a good player. Dependable, plays in all situations, and has experience in all facets of the requirements of a top pairing two way defenseman. It is this valuable list of traits that makes it so important for Chicago to have a long term solution at this position. His age does not line up with the core of this team as it stands though, making Seth Jones a likely candidate to be moved in the coming seasons.

With development and time, a top four consisting of Kevkin Korchinski, Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Alex Vlasic could be the envy of fanbases across the NHL. So while Ivan Demidov could certainly wow a United Center crowd with highlight dangles, goals, and saucer passes to Connor Bedard (or vice-versa) it is in the Blackhawks best interest to build a team that wins when it matters most. When a team re-builds from scratch like the Hawks did, the needs are "everything" hence the arguement for a Demidov, Silayev, or Lindstrom at number two.

With time though, it's Blackhawk Up's opinion that the Chicago Blackhawks will see that they must draft Artyom Levshunov with the second overall selection in the 2024 draft.