Who has the best chance of becoming the Blackhawks' number one defenseman?

The Chicago Blackhawks know what the future of their forward group looks like.

Connor Bedard is the unquestioned first-line center and face of the franchise. Frank Nazar looks like the team’s second-line center for the next decade-plus and has already been paid like it. Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis have flashed top-six (and at least top-nine) potential this season. Meanwhile, Colton Dach and Ryan Greene could comprise two-thirds of a competent NHL third line.

Most organizations would kill for that offensive depth, and I haven’t even mentioned 2025 third-overall pick Anton Frondell or KHL superstar Roman Kantserov, who will both certainly receive top-six opportunities next season.

The backend, however, is a different story. The Blackhawks have an abundance of quality defense prospects, including several already on the active roster, but it is unclear where they will fall in the pecking order. There is even a chance that the Blackhawks do not currently have a true number one defenseman in the organization.

With that in mind, let’s see who the top candidates are to become this era’s Duncan Keith on the Windy City’s blueline.

Alex Vlasic

The Wilmette, Illinois native has been a stalwart on the team’s defense for the past three seasons, and, despite being only 24, he is one of the veterans on the Blackhawks. The organization has great trust in him as a player, as evidenced by the six-year extension he signed in 2024. Vlasic has been the team’s best shutdown defender for the past three seasons and has averaged 21:30 of ice time per game in his career.

He’s done everything the Blackhawks could have asked of him, but that may be the issue. Vlasic may just be an elite defensive defenseman, and, as valuable as that is, most teams’ top defender has more offensive production. The Cale Makars, Quinn Hughes, and Victor Hedmans of the world all drive significant offense while providing stellar defense. That’s not a knock against Vlasic, but his offensive toolkit is likely not deep enough to be a bona fide number one.

Wyatt Kaiser

Despite a lengthy contract negotiation delaying the start of Kaiser’s season, he has blossomed into a do-it-all defenseman for the Blackhawks in 2024-2025. Coach Jeff Blashill trusts the 23-year-old in all situations, and he has already set a career-high with 11 points. Kaiser does not boast the frame of a prototypical NHL defenseman at 6’0”, 190 lbs, but he makes up for it with his elite skating and stick work.

The University of Minnesota-Duluth alum has shown that he has a good chance of becoming a top-four caliber defenseman thus far, but he likely does not have the size or offensive prowess to be one of the league’s 32 best.

Artyom Levshunov

Of all the Blackhawks’ current defensemen and prospects, Levshunov has the most offensive talent and potential. During his rapid ascent from the USHL to the NCAA to the AHL, and now to the NHL, Levshunov has produced wherever he plays. He is currently on pace for 34 points in 80 games, meaning he would produce more than Charlie McAvoy, Noah Hanifin, and Jake Sanderson during their age 20 seasons.

That being said, Levshunov’s rookie year hasn’t been all positive. He is frequently careless with the puck, pinches too aggressively, and loses his man in the defensive zone, but that is not uncommon for young blueliners. The Blackhawks invested a second-overall pick in the Belarusian, and if he is not their future number one, they will at least expect him to be a top-pair defender over the course of his career.

Sam Rinzel

After wrapping up a stellar two-year career at the University of Minnesota, Rinzel received a nine-game NHL audition last spring. As Blackhawks fans watched the skilled, smooth-skating 6’4 defenseman cruise up and down the ice, they believed the team may have found its next number one. That turned out not to be the case… yet. Rinzel started strong in the NHL this season, but after 28 games, the organization decided the 21-year-old needed seasoning with the Rockford IceHogs.

While this was certainly disappointing for Rinzel, some AHL reps for young defensemen are often necessary. Vlasic, Levshunov, Kaiser, and Louis Crevier all spent significant time with the IceHogs and came out the better for it. Rinzel has all the tools of a number one defenseman – only time will tell if he becomes one.

Kevin Korchinski

If this article were written in the summer of 2023, Korchinski would have been the unquestioned favorite to be the future leader of the Blackhawks' defense corps. At that time, he was coming off a dominant season that saw him win a World Juniors gold medal, a WHL title, and earn WHL First All-Star team honors. However, since then, the 2022 seventh-overall pick struggled for a season in the NHL, spent the majority of the past two campaigns in Rockford, and suited up for just two games as a Blackhawk in 2025-2026.

The offense that was Korchinski’s calling card has dried up at the pro level, and his mediocre defensive play has not made up for his shortcomings. Korchinski is only 21, but thus far, it looks like he may go down as general manager Kyle Davidson’s biggest draft whiff.

2026 First Round Pick

Though the Blackhawks are much improved this season, they still sit 27th in the NHL standings as of January 24. That means they could be in line for another top 10 pick, and there are a number of draft-eligible defenders who could be franchise changers. Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, Alberts Smits, and Carson Carels have all been mocked in the top 10, represented their countries as underage players at the World Juniors, and possess potential star attributes.

In all honesty, this Blackhawks season would be a huge success if the team continues at its current points pace, the young players continue to improve, and the franchise selects one of these four defensemen.

While the Blackhawks do not have a player they can guarantee will be their number one defenseman, there are plenty of possible candidates. If I had to rank which players had the best chance of becoming the Blackhawks' next ace, it would be Levshunov, one of Verhoeff, Reid, Smits, or Carels, then Rinzel.