Hope is one word you can use when talking about the Chicago Blackhawks blue line for 2024-25, even if they likely won’t be among the best in the league. Still, with Alex Vlasic in town long-term, plus some veterans joining the organization this year and Artyom Levshunov hearing his name called in the NHL Draft last month, the unit is shaping up.
So, if we were to rank the likeliest players to find a spot on Chicago’s blue line, either as a regular member of the rotation or to log NHL minutes at some point this season, how would they stack up against one another?
For this article, I took the projected top eight blueliners and ordered them with criteria like how they performed in the past, their overall potential, and how much value they will likely provide the Blackhawks in 2024-25 - much like I did with the forwards earlier in the week. At this time of the year, these rankings are just fun to follow, and they will be worth revisiting at specific points this year.
The No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft signed his entry-level deal, meaning Artyom Levshunov will be playing in the NHL at some point this season. That may not be the case early, and since he has yet to play in a pro hockey game, he’ll clock in at No. 8 on the list with the potential to more than move up if he lands a spot in the Blackhawks lineup.
Wyatt Kaiser saw 32 games of action this past season and logged seven assists, 17:19 of average total ice time, 46 blocks, and 22 hits. Although he never stuck to the lineup permanently and had a fair share of up-and-down moments, Kaiser also finished the season with an on-ice save percentage of 92.7 at even strength. Not bad, considering what the Blackhawks had dealt with this year in the crease, especially when Arvid Soderblom was in the net.
Kevin Korchinski’s rookie season went about the way you would expect for a rebuilding Blackhawks team with a barren defensive rotation last season. Still, those 76 games were a learning experience, so I won’t go too hard on the fact he was on the ice for just 37 goals for compared to 74 against at even strength, a 44.4 percent Corsi For despite a 60.8 offensive zone starting percentage, and a minus-39 rating.
Injuries limited Connor Murphy this past season, but when healthy, he provided serviceable efforts in the defensive zone, finishing the year with 113 blocks and 116 hits. Murphy has been in Chicago for a while, indicating the Hawks value his presence, and that will become even more pivotal this season should someone like Artyom Levshunov join the rotation.
Alex Vlasic’s efforts earned him a contract extension, and he’ll be in the Windy City for a while. His value became apparent starting in December, and he never looked back, stealing the puck a whopping 60 times while blocking 148 shots across a solid 21:29 of average total ice time. He was on the ice for just 58 goals against at even strength, which wasn’t a bad number for the 2023-24 Blackhawks, and Vlasic’s on-ice save percentage in that same situation ended up a decent 91.7.
For young hockey teams, bringing on someone who has previously won the Stanley Cup is always a smart move, and Alec Martinez has his name on the Cup three times. Like most of the blueliners on this list, he’s not much of a two-way player, but he’s getting in front at least 150 and probably more shots.
It seems like Kyle Davidson had a few things on his mind when he inked some defensemen to the Blackhawks earlier this month: Find blueliners with experience winning in this league and also those who can get in front of a lot of shots to help out the goaltenders. Like Martinez, Brodie specializes in both, having invaded scoring lanes 159 times last season in 78 games.
One of the best blueliners in the league at one time, Seth Jones took fourth in the Norris Trophy voting while with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017-18. He’s not the same player he was, but Jones will once again log first-pairing minutes, get in front of shots, and provide help in the offensive zone, providing a solid, all-around game.
(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)
