Blackhawks Emulating Recent Cup Champs with Defense Changes

The Chicago Blackhawks know the success Hedman brings to the Lightning’s roster and are trying to follow suit. Something that stands out (literally) is how big the Blackhawks’ defense core is this season, and it’s not by accident. Here is how Chicago is trying to redefine their defense core for the future.

Blackhawks Draft Started Going In Different Direction

Since the Blackhawks’ dynasty started to wane in 2016, their defense took a big hit as star defensemen like Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith were getting older. The team drafted defensemen in the first and second rounds, but that did not pan out. They went with Henri Jokiharju, Ian Mitchell, Adam Boqvist, and Nicolas Beaudin. Although all blue liners were skilled, they were knocked for being undersized, being under 6 feet (Jokiharju aside). The Blackhawks acquired Connor Murphy (6-foot-4) in 2017 from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Niklas Hjalmarsson. Still, it was clear that not having size was a hindrance.

In 2021, the Blackhawks started to become committed to adding big bodies. They drafted Nolan Allan (6-foot-2), Taige Harding (6-foot-6) and Ethan Del Mastro (6-foot-4). That was also the summer when they acquired Seth Jones (6-foot-4) from the Columbus Blue Jackets and his brother Caleb Jones (6-foot-1) from the Edmonton Oilers. When general manager Kyle Davidson took over for Stan Bowman in 2022, director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said about Davidson’s roster philosophy, in part, “So, Kyle wants speed, he wants to play fast down the middle, he wants to play direct, wants to be bigger. Not that we can lead with size, but yeah, size is always good to have.” (from ‘Who’s behind Blackhawks’ draft picks? Meet Mike Doneghey, director of amateur scouting – The Athletic – 07/07/2022). 

Davidson stuck to the vision of wanting to be bigger by drafting Kevin Korchinski (6-foot-2), Sam Rinzel (6-foot-4), and Janne Peltonen (6-foot-3) in 2022 and 2023. In fact, within the Blackhawks’ pipeline, only one of 13 defensemen is under 6-feet-tall. They even picked up Jarred Tinordi (6-foot-6) off of waivers from the New York Rangers in October 2022. Although they mainly wanted him for a steady veteran presence for the rebuild, his size was a bonus. They also currently have Isaak Phillips (6-foot-3) and Filip Roos (6-foot-4) filling in with Korchinski dealing with a family matter, Tinordi on injured reserve with a concussion, and Jones dealing with an upper-body injury.

So, Chicago got the size part down, but is bigger always better for an NHL defense?

Blackhawks New Look Big Team

As mentioned, the NHL is leaning toward a big defense corps. When Tampa Bay won their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, their blue liners, including Hedman, were no smaller than 6-foot-1 and were mean, rugged, and physical. That is what helped them win and became their identity. Looking even at the reigning champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, last season, their blue line was built like Tampa Bay. Their units are unique in their two-way play with offense, which has lead to rings.

The Blackhawks know this all too well. Offensive contributions from Seabrook and Keith in the playoffs helped them advance, even though that wasn’t their primary approach. The problem is that finding those defensemen who hit all the two-way qualities is extremely hard to do, and teams with someone with similar attributes hold onto them for dear life because they are so valuable. Look at Cale Makar (6-feet) on the Colorado Avalanche and Moritz Seider (6-foot-3) on the Detroit Red Wings. Makar has been cream of the crop since 2019 with a Stanley Cup, Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe, and Calder Trophy. Seider was the 2022 Calder Trophy winner for best NHL rookie, and Detroit is currently in a wild-card spot for the playoffs. That is the model the Hawks hope to replicate.

This season, the Blackhawks game against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 3 was intriguing because of the defense group. With Jones, Murphy, Korchinski, Tinordi, Alex Vlasic (6-foot-6), and Louis Crevier (6-foot-8), Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times dubbed that it “might’ve been “one of the tallest defensive corps in NHL history.”

Here’s the thing with tall players: usually, they’re not the best skaters. Doneghey also alluded to that, but the Blackhawks may have found something with Vlasic and Crevier. This is Vlasic’s first full NHL season in Chicago, and he has arguably been their best defenseman. The 22-year-old leads the team in plus/minus, being a plus-7 in 26 games. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Crevier was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs on Dec. 2. Since then, he and Vlasic have played together in a third-pairing and top-pairing role, which has been effective. Crevier is an even plus/minus in five games. Head coach Luke Richardson even joked that they could hold hands and touch both sides of the rinks due to their physiques.

But the duo has been working. They’re good enough skaters, and they are leading the way. They continue to impress on a team that gives up the sixth-most goals per game (3.46 goals). There have been mistakes, but their good has outweighed the bad.

Will the Size Factor Pan Out for the Blackhawks?

Something head coach Richardson said about Seth Jones last season always stood out: “But you look at Victor Hedman, he’s never out of control. He’s always in control. He’s up in the ice in the right time and gets his points that way that way and he never gets beat defensively, and I think that’s what Seth is turning his game around this year and starting to become.” (from ‘Blackhawks recent play brings back memories and may be a glimpse into their future’ – 02/11/2023).

Therefore, the Hedman factor was on their minds and that of every NHL team. Jones was acquired to be that number one defenseman who can move and bring those offensive tendencies, and they want to fill out the roster the same way. They’re hoping their pipeline can turn into that influential two-way group that wins championships. By drafting Rinzel and Korchinski, Davidson mentioned their skill, skating, and hands as “pretty rare to find that in defensemen of their size.” Korchinski has more than impressed this season and will only get better, and adding in Vlasic and Crevier, they have a solid foundation to build on.

The Blackhawks will want to be smart about this because, in the future, you don’t just want to bank on size alone, as Doneghey mentioned. You wouldn’t want to pass up on a Quinn Hughes-type (Vancouver Canucks) who is leading the league in plus/minus being a plus-23 just because he is 5-foot-10. But the Blackhawks have to be pleased with some of their results with the big guys, as it is hard to find one, let alone a whole team of them.

Everyone wants to find the next Hedman, and although these Blackhawks players are not Hedman (no one is), and there is still plenty of work to be done, they’re holding their own and hope to redefine their defense like the Lightning and Golden Knights have.