Thanksgiving in the United States has historically been an important benchmark for NHL teams. Historically, teams that are in a playoff spot when Americans are cutting turkey have a statistically strong likelihood of making the postseason. For what it’s worth, if the season ended thru games played on Nov. 13, the Chicago Blackhawks would be the second wild card team in the Western Conference. Because of that reality, trade rumors start to pick up in the middle of Thanksgiving. With a larger sample size of games played and injuries beginning to impact lineups significantly, front offices begin assessing their team’s immediate and larger-scale needs with hopes of either solidifying their playoff position or changing their trajectory sooner than the trade deadline. Which means trade rumors start to pick up. And, after a long list of teams were represented in the United Center press box for the Blackhawks-Devils game on Wednesday night — including an assistant GM from Toronto and four individuals whose title was either director of or head of pro scouting — there has been increased chatter around the Blackhawks’ potential impact on the trade market. And, with the Blackhawks having strong depth on the back end both in the NHL and in Rockford, there has been speculation about who teams may target in Chicago. Which has led to a lot of statements about the quality of specific Blackhawks defensemen on the current Chicago roster and potentially on the trade market. I thought now would be a good time to consider, again, how the Blackhawks are using their seven defensemen on a nightly basis. In the middle of the Blackhawks’ six-game road trip I took a look at how the team using their seven defensemen lineups had benefitted individual players and was being used as a development tool. Since I wrote that piece, the Blackhawks are 3-0-1. Now, with 20 percent of the games played in the regular season, the sample size is significant enough to make larger statements about how things are working and how players are being used. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Blackhawks Ice Time Distribution The good folks at MoneyPuck break down share of possible ice time for players. Among defensemen who have skated at least 150 total minutes entering Friday, here’s where the Blackhawks’ seven defensemen rank in the NHL: 58. Alex Vlasic (35.6%)103. Wyatt Kaiser (32.3%)123. Sam Rinzel (30.2%)155. Artyom Levshunov (25.7%)162. Matthew Grzelcyk (25.1%)172. Connor Murphy (23.9%)175. Louis Crevier (22.4%) With that same criteria of min. 150 minutes of ice time entering Friday, Murphy ranks No. 1 in the NHL in defensive zone starts (25.2%). Vlasic ranks No. 7 overall (21%). Meanwhile, Levshunov ranks No. 6 in the NHL (19.4%) and Rinzel ranks No. 19 in the league (16%) in offensive zone starts. Entering Friday’s games, the Blackhawks rank eighth in the NHL in penalty killing (84.1%). On NHL.com, I sorted the Blackhawks’ defensemen by total short-handed time on ice. Nothing more clearly shows how the Blackhawks are specifically using their defensemen more than this breakdown: The Blackhawks’ two young right-handed defensemen have barely touched the penalty kill as we skate into the third weekend in November. That’s by design. That’s very intentional. Productive Blackhawks D-Men I’ve previously written about the Blackhawks’ power play taking off since Levshunov was moved to the top unit. Entering Friday’s action, the Blackhawks’ power play ranks fifth in the NHL (26.0%). It’s also noteworthy that Levshunov currently ranks third in the NHL in assists per 60 minutes (2.15) behind Colorado’s Cale Makar and Ottawa’s Jordan Spence. Levshunov ranks 13th in the league in points per 60 minutes (2.15), while Crevier ranks 10th (2.2). The Blackhawks added Grzelcyk on a low-cost, one-year deal to help balance the veterans with the youth movement. The unheralded impact of Grzelcyk is remaining undeniable as the season continues. MoneyPuck ranks him the Blackhawks’ leader and 51st in the NHL in shifts that start on the fly (64.9%). He’s second on the Blackhawks in shifts that start in the offensive zone (12.3%). He leads the Blackhawks and, according to Natural Stat Trick, ranks 17th in the NHL (again, min. 150 min. TOI) in 5-on-5 expected Goals For percentage (57.37). The Blackhawks want their young defensemen to get comfortable in all situations and make a positive impact more frequently than not. The coaches are doing a masterful job of using their seven defensemen in situations that put all seven of them in positions to succeed in the immediate moment and long term. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
