The Blackhawks are underplaying the loss of Louis Crevier

Having a strong, puck-moving defenceman who can hit, score, and lock down elite talents is what every team in the NHL wants, and being 6'8" makes that combination nearly impossible. But for the Chicago Blackhawks, they had their 6'8" giant in former seventh-round pick Louis Crevier, and it seems fans and the organization are downplaying how big of a loss this really is.

What exactly are the Blackhawks losing in Louis Crevier?

Throughout his NHL career, Louis Crevier has shown signs of being a little bit out on his feet and early on struggled to keep himself in a stable roster position. However, towards the end of his tenure in Chicago, he became a wild card that not many teams in the league possess, sometimes even earning minutes as a top-pairing guy.

Being 6'8" and a great puck-moving D-man, as well as being a super reliable lockdown guy on the blue line, is a dream for teams in the NHL. Although he isn't a Cale Makar or a Quinn Hughes, Crevier was a massive part of the Blackhawks. His departure is sure to have left a seven-foot dent on their blue line, leaving questionable size issues in the defenseman department.

By no means was Crevier a franchise-altering loss, but with guys like Sam Rinzel, Wyatt Kaiser, and Bowen Byram now taking the reins, Chicago looks very deprived of a big-hitting and physical d-man. Crevier wasn't necessarily going out there crunching guys and causing problems, but his size alone was a trump card for Chicago. Now their defense looks small and lacking a big truculent guy out back.

Having scored 25 points, including seven goals, last season, Crevier cemented himself in the Blackhawks lineup and looked like a pest to play against. He amped his game up physically, and for a guy of his size, he looked like a really solid skater, with plenty of scope for improvement. With his absence, Chicago doesn't look fearful enough on the blue line, and the size seems to be a real issue. It is no doubt guys like Alex Vlasic, who will ramp up their physical game in time, will fill those gaps. But Crevier offered Chicago a unique mechanism in defense, and it will be a massive loss this season.

As he takes his talents to Buffalo, it looks as if Chicago has squandered a guy who was once a nobody and turned into a massive asset. His improvement in Buffalo and impact as a big threatening guy are sure to turn heads and boost their lineup massively. For Chicago, their size issue will show. A time may never come when they have a guy as unique and versatile as Crevier.

His exit from Chicago leaves the Blackhawks with a gaping hole on the right side of the defense, and as for those net-piercing slap shots, those missiles will just become a distant memory. His ever-growing attributes will be an even bigger loss on the ice.

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