The 2022-23 season is coming to an end for the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s been a tough campaign with lots of ups and downs, along with huge changes for the franchise. In full rebuild mode, the team said goodbye to staple players such as Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe, Jack Johnson and Max Domi. Not to mention franchise icon Patrick Kane.
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In the meantime, the organization is trying to integrate a plethora of young prospects that could potentially be the faces of the future. The Blackhawks play in Pittsburgh on Apr. 11, but they just completed their last extended road trip of the season, a three-game outing against the Calgary Flames (4-3 win), Vancouver Canucks (3-0 loss) and Seattle Kraken (7-3 loss). As we near the finish line, let’s discuss some takeaways from this final series of away games.
Blackhawks’ Defensive Carousel
The Blackhawks brought nine defensemen with them on this road trip, namely Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, Jarred Tinordi, Caleb Jones, Andreas Englund, Nikita Zaitsev, Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser and Ian Mitchell. The organization is trying to determine what they have in their trade deadline acquisitions and some of their defensive prospects. But this required some major juggling of bodies. Three blueliners had to be scratched for each game.
Defensive Matchups Vs. Flames
Against the Flames, Kaiser, Zaitsev and Englund were the scratches while Tinordi returned from a hip injury and Mitchell suited up for the first time since Mar. 28, a span of three games. It was the first time the 31-year-old Zaitsev had been scratched since his initial game with the Blackhawks on Mar. 4.
Vlasic, playing in his fourth contest with the team, was deployed much of the game on the top pairing with Seth Jones.
Defensive Matchups Vs. Canucks
Against the Canucks, Kaiser and Zaitsev were scratched again, along with Tinordi, who was replaced by Englund. Surprisingly, Mitchell got the nod for a second consecutive game. Said head coach Luke Richardson, “He (Mitchell) played well last game and he hasn’t played a lot lately. We want to try to get everybody in, but if you had a good game, you deserve to stay in. We want to keep that message consistent.”
Mitchell and Englund comprised the third defensive pairing, while Vlasic played with Murphy on the second pairing.
Defensive Matchups Vs. Kraken
Against the Kraken, Zaitsev, Englund and Mitchell were the scratches. Apparently Zaitsev was the odd man out, as he was scratched the entire road trip. Englund and Kaiser both only played one game apiece. In this contest, Vlasic continued to impress by notching his first point of the season with the primary assist on a goal by Lukas Reichel.
Overall Thoughts on Defensive Rotation
What can we make of all this? Well, maybe not too much at this point. The team is just trying to get a good look at everybody. But I would say Caleb Jones being a consistent player, and not part of this rotation, bodes well for him returning next season. I think Tinordi has proven his style of play and veteran status is a good fit for the Blackhawks as well.
I’ve heard rumblings that Zaitsev would be a good candidate to be bought out by the Blackhawks, and it looks like Englund and Mitchell are also on the bubble. Vlasic appears to be an excellent candidate to take the next step as a regular NHL player next season, while Kaiser could use more seasoning in the American Hockey League.
Reichel’s Last Stand
It was announced on Saturday that both Reichel and Vlasic will be returning to the Rockford IceHogs to help them with their playoff push. So this road trip was essentially their last hoorah with the Blackhawks, at least for this season. We spoke of Vlasic’s potential above. But Reichel has certainly come into his own in this last stretch of games.
Vlasic ➡️ Reichel 😌 pic.twitter.com/72ZZt8x1dK
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 9, 2023
In these three games alone, the 20-year-old contributed a goal and three primary assists. His confidence is building and it’s showing in the way of production. Richardson spoke about both Reichel and Vlasic after the matchup against the Kraken on Saturday.
Both [Reichel] and Vlasic had one of their best games, both of them. Vlasic looked a little more aggressive moving pucks and skating pucks, shooting it on the one goal. Reichs…was on the body on the forecheck, and when we had the puck, he was impressive.
Reichel certainly belongs in the NHL, and it will be exciting to see what he can do during a full season next year.
Toews Reminisces
Jonathan Toews surprised everyone by suiting up for the first time since Jan. 28 against the New Jersey Devils on Apr. 1. We all know he’s been dealing with health problems due to Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and long-Covid. But he’s obviously trying to make the most of the end of the season, which he knows might be his last days in a Blackhawks’ jersey (from ‘Jonathan Toews on his NHL playing future: ‘If it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a hell no’, The AthleticCHI – 4/6/23). He joined the team on the road trip and reminisced about what this Canada excursion used to be like in his younger glory years.
Toews was asked about the meaning of his possible last Western Canada trip, and he lit up reminiscing about old playoff memories: pic.twitter.com/S2Q5DSo3pn
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 4, 2023
Ah, remember those old rivalries with the Canucks?! It certainly isn’t the same anymore. Regardless, it was a nice walk down memory lane with the Blackhawks’ captain.
Toews didn’t exactly light the world on fire this trip; he registered one assist while averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time. He did, however, boast a 58% success rate in the faceoff circle. Regardless, let’s hope he corralled some of those good feelings for the remainder of the season.
To Tank or Not to Tank
Yes, the Blackhawks are in a fight for a last place finish with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Anaheim Ducks. It’s true that if they end the season with the worst record, they’re guaranteed at least the third overall pick. For the overall future of the franchise, I guess we want them to lose the rest of their games.
But there seems to be something inherently wrong with rooting for your team to tank. Richardson summed it up best in this statement.
Richardson on draft lottery: “Mailing it in at the end of the year…takes away from what we’ve built here this year. That’s just as important as anything that comes in the future. We can’t control whether we finish in last… Wherever we land, [we’ll] get the best player we can.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 6, 2023
Gosh bless Richardson, and I need to go find me a brick wall to run through! He and the rest of the coaching staff have built the foundation for a strong-willed and hard-working culture. Why the heck would they want to end the season any differently?! “That’s just as important as anything that comes in the future.”
Amen! You all can root for the Hawks to lose these final games. But I will be rejoicing in any wins they happen to pull off.
Other Blackhawks’ Notes
- Taylor Raddysh sustained a groin injury against the Canucks last Thursday and is expected to be out 10-14 days, which will end his season.
- With Raddysh sidelined, Andreas Athanasiou is on pace to finish the season with the highest marks on the team. His 18 goals and 35 assists are both just two behind Raddysh’s stats. Can AA surpass these totals without his latest partner in crime in Reichel? We shall see.
- Seth Jones continues to be a solid contributor for the Blackhawks by notching two goals in the contest against the Kraken on Saturday. It’s a shame it couldn’t be a hat trick, of which Jones has never enjoyed in his career.
- Austin Wagner played in his third and fourth games with the Blackhawks on this trip. He tallied his first goal with the team against the Flames last Tuesday, and with a beautiful curl and drag move.
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The final three games of the season commence on Monday, with the Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers on the docket on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday respectively. The Blackhawks will be without Raddysh (groin injury) and Reichel and Vlasic (return to the IceHogs), among others that might not be available. It could be an ugly finish, but there will be a few things to root for. Will Athanasiou add to his totals to lead the Blackhawks? Can Toews end the season on a high note? Which defensemen will step up? And, will the Blackhawks pull out any more wins?
Tune in to see how it all ends up. Never a dull moment!