Which Blackhawks defensemen will step up with the trade deadline soon and a key injury?

The first NHL game after the Olympic break is on February 25, and the trade deadline is March 6, just nine days later. That doesn’t give teams much time to think about moves, so they’ll have to do some planning during the break. The Chicago Blackhawks enter the break with not only key decisions on expiring contracts, but also an injury that could be significant.

During the Feb. 4 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Zach Werenski slipped onto the leg of Wyatt Kaiser, forcing him out of the game. With only 2:07 of ice time, all other defenseman except for Louis Crevier played over 20 minutes. That’s obviously not ideal, as being a man down leads to overwork. It seemed like a certainty that Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Murphy would get traded before the injury. They may still get traded, opening the door to some important opportunities for young defensemen.

Holes in the lineup could change the Blackhawks’ plans

The Blackhawks’ various unrestricted free agents have been a hot topic of conversation over the last few weeks. With all eyes on Grzelcyk, Kaiser, and Murphy, some replacements will potentially be here sooner rather than later. Sam Rinzel has been up for a substantial amount of time, with Ethan Del Mastro and Kevin Korchinski having short stints this year. If Kaiser’s injury is severe, and Grzelcyk and/or Murphy get traded, they’ll have to step up majorly.

Rinzel looked like he was going to be an impact player coming into this season. He made the team out of camp, averaging almost 20 minutes a night in October. However, his ice time started to drop the next two months when Jeff Blashill switched from the 11F and 7D lineup to the more common 12F and 6D lineup. With that decision and many veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, they sent him to Rockford, where he picked up 10 points in 19 games. In light of Artyom Levshunov’s struggles as of late, they recalled him. He’s averaged over 20 minutes a game in the three games since his recall, but has since been sent back down. It seems he will need to take on a bigger role in the last few weeks of the season once he’s recalled again.

Del Mastro had a very strong season two years ago in Rockford, with 37 points in 69 games. He led the IceHogs defensemen by a wide margin in points, so fans thought he was definitely going to be a part of the future. However, last season was a disappointment. He had only nine points, with no goals, in 47 games. He got into 24 games with the Blackhawks last year, but he was assigned to Rockford once again this season, where he has 15 points in 37 games.

Right now, Korchinski is a minus-39 in 97 AHL games and a minus-46 in 94 NHL games. That might look terrible, but the Blackhawks were horrible two years ago when he was a large part of the lineup, and the IceHogs are horrible this year. However, he was the worst defenseman in plus/minus of the Hawks and the worst in plus/minus of the IceHogs. It’s clear that defense is not his strong suit, which is probably why he’s spent nearly all of the last two years with Rockford.

It seems like disappointing play is the only reason Rinzel is up, and it may have been too late for Del Mastro and Korchinski to make an impact. However, with Kaiser’s injury and the increasing likelihood that Grzelcyk and Murphy won’t be with the Blackhawks in a month, some defensemen will be forced to step up. Doing so could change the front office’s minds about Del Mastro and Korchinski, and allow Rinzel to get a better role and solidify his spot in the lineup.

Del Mastro, Korchinski, and Rinzel started their careers in the Blackhawks organization on high notes, with fans hyping them up as part of the future. However, things quickly nosedived, with demotions and an ugly season leaving fans doubting their overall role in the Blackhawks’ return to contention. But with an unknown timetable for Kaiser’s injury, and veteran UFAs probably getting traded, the door swings open for another chance. If they impress, Kyle Davidson and the rest of the front office might have to make some changes to their thought process next season. This is the perfect opportunity for those three to show everyone that they shouldn’t be counted out just yet.