Recent trades give the Blackhawks a well-rounded core in the season’s final stretch

I was looking for a fire sale regarding the Blackhawks, and it kind of happened. Gone are Seth Jones, Craig Smith, and Petr Mrazek, and in town are players like Spencer Knight and Joe Veleno. And I’ll tell you this; Knight was a good find and we need to commend Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson on a job well done for hanging onto Arvid Soderblom. 

The move may have just given the Blackhawks the best young one-two tandem out there, even if Knight factors in as a clear-cut No. 1 netminder and Soderblom settles into the No. 2 role. Heading into the season, it looked like Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit were getting the entire net to themselves. But an injury to Brossoit and Mrazek going to the Red Wings negated that. 

Soderblom may be the Blackhawks most improved player overall, with a 0.905 save percentage, a 3.05 GAA, and an even 0.500 quality starts percentage. Then, there’s Knight, whose 0.951 save percentage and 1.95 GAA in two games with the Hawks should have fans optimistic. 

While Chicago may have found their goaltenders, it’s just the tip of the iceberg for their overall core. A core that includes Connor Bedard among others playing at the big club level. 

The Blackhawks core with the big club is shaping up better-than-expected

For this piece, I’m only talking about those currently on the Hawks main roster, and not within the organization. There are many up-and-coming players to like, but you can’t help but get excited for the team’s current, Connor Bedard-led core. 

No, Bedard hasn’t lived up to expectations at the season’s two-thirds mark, but he has found his scoring groove after a rough start. The persistence paid off, and Bedard’s 52 points and 17 goals in 64 contests could be the best of a bad situation. If he gets stronger, more aggressive, and starts winning more face-offs, he’ll enter Year 3 as the true superstar in the making. 

Ryan Donato is the wild card here, as he heads into the last leg of his $2 million deal. Should Donato stay in the Windy City, the Hawks will get a relatively young, balanced player whose 48 points and 23 goals in 62 games have been unprecedented. 

Though they’re 29 and 30, respectively, Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen should be here to stay. Neither has been exceptional, but Bertuzzi is a player who adds grit to this team while Teravainen is an above-average playmaker. 

Other forwards in the hunt are Colton Dach, Frank Nazar, Lukas Reichel, and Landon Slaggert. Nazar has shown flashes, and a big jump in production could be in store for us as the season hits its final stretch. 

Dach has proven himself to be beyond physical, with 68 hits in 20 games, plus a solid seven points and two goals. We also don’t want to forget about the physical newcomer, Joe Veleno, who has a future on this team’s lower lines. 

Verdict for the forwards group

Surefire Forwards: Bedard, Teravainen, Bertuzzi, Donato (if he stays), Dach, Nazar, Reichel (if he’s on the lower lines), Veleno. Bedard needs some help with playmaking and scoring, and neither Teravainen nor Bertuzzi is enough. Ditto for Ryan Donato. 

However, the trio could make up better headway should they ultimately play 13-14 minutes per game. Reichel is part of this core if he’s on the fourth line, preferably, and the Veleno pickup is one I wouldn’t underestimate. 

Still, someone young and who can put up points is badly needed here, and it must be priority No. 1 in the offseason. If there’s any hope, Frank Nazar will evolve into a 17-18-minute player.

The blue line also unearthed gems not named Artyom Levshunov

We’ll see Artyom Levshunov make his much-anticipated debut before we know it, but his call-up’s the ultimate tip of the iceberg here. Alex Vlasic is slowly becoming a playmaker here with 22 assists and 25 points, but he’s made a living stealing pucks with 43 so far on the season. Add in 119 blocks and 48 hits, and the Hawks have yet another well-rounded player. 

Louis Crevier has been a physical presence in 27 games, and he’s someone I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to, while Wyatt Kaiser is another who could make his case to stick around. And remember, these are just players currently with the big club as of Monday, 12 PM EST. 

Overall, the blue line may be lacking here, with just two surefire talents with Chicago at the moment, while the others fight for relevance. Still, they’re off to a good start with Vlasic, and it’s only a matter of time before Levshunov adds his name to the surefire list.