Blackhawks Notebook: Hall, Levshunov, Reichel, 2nd Line Center & More

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We’re almost 10 games into the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2024-25 campaign (Monday, Oct. 28 is the 10th game). The team is currently a disappointing 2-6-1 on the season after an encouraging 2-2-1 start. The Blackhawks have now lost four games in a row. A lot of things have gone against the Hawks, but there are also some encouraging signs. It seems like a perfect time to empty out the notebook. There’s a plethora of thoughts and storylines to cover, so let’s get to it.

Hall Hits 700

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Taylor Hall’s milestone, even if it was last Tuesday (Oct. 22). Hall notched his 700th career point with a goal in the Blackhawks’ 6-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

The 32-year-old has had a tough go of it, missing most of last season due to ACL surgery, and then recovering in the offseason. All he wants to do is get back to normal and make an impact with the Blackhawks. So much so, he didn’t even know it was his 700th point. “I had no idea,” Hall said.

Hall is currently being deployed on the second line for the Blackhawks, alongside Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Bertuzzi. He has two goals and three points through nine games, which is less than desired for the veteran, considering his deployment. Nevertheless, Hall is feeling good about the chemistry of the team, and his desire to stay in Chicago (he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season).   

We’re trying to bring the young guys up the right way. You need to surround them with not only good pros, but good players. The vibe is better. We’re in every game and we’re still improving.

I’d love to stay and be part of this. I’ve moved around quite a bit, maybe more than I would’ve liked or planned at the start of my career. But it’s brought me and led me to some amazing people, and I’ve had a lot of great life experiences, and that’s made me grow up a lot. In saying that, I like it here, I like the organization. Most of all, I really like this team and the group of guys we have. I think I can be a good piece for us as we keep growing. If there was interest on their side, I’d definitely love to be around the team and help build this.

Hall is off to a decent start, but I’m sure he wants to make more of an impact as the season progresses.

Levshunov Debuts in Rockford

Defenseman Artyom Levshunov was finally activated off injured reserve last Tuesday (Oct. 22). The Blackhawks’ second overall pick in the 2024 draft was then assigned to the Rockford IceHogs to officially begin his pro career.

It turns out Levshunov was skating with a fracture to his right foot for over a month before he realized it.

That’s a tough break (pun intended), because it probably made it worse and subsequently took longer to heal. But the good news is Levshunov made his debut with the IceHogs on Saturday, Oct. 26. against the Manitoba Moose. He lined up on the second defensive pairing alongside Cavan Fitzgerald, and got right to work. The 18-year-old helped tie the game for the IceHogs with the primary assist on Fitzgerald’s goal.

It looks like Levshunov is off to a great start in Rockford. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he’s playing on the top pairing alongside Kevin Korchinski.

Related – Blackhawks Sending Kevin Korchinski to AHL is Right Move

Brossoit Injury Update

Goaltender Laurent Brossoit was brought on to be part of a 1A, 1B tandem this season with Petr Mrazek. Unfortunately, Brossoit underwent meniscus surgery to his right knee at the end of August. This has been less than ideal for the Blackhawks. The 31-year-old missed all of training camp and the beginning of the season. He’s finally been practicing before the rest of the team as he nears a return.

Based on this prediction, two weeks from Oct. 24 would make Brossoit ready at the latest on Thursday, Nov. 7. The Blackhawks have back-to-back games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, as well as Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. Hopefully Brossoit will be ready for one of those contests. I’m sure he’s anxious to get started with his new team.

Laurent Brossoit Winnipeg Jets
Laurent Brossoit, shown here with the Winnipeg Jets, has yet to suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks due to meniscus surgery. (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

In the meantime, Arvid Soderblom has started in two contests with the Blackhawks while they await the return of Brossoit. It’s a small sample size, but Soderblom has bounced back quite well from a disappointing 2023-24 season. He currently has a .911 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average.

To add to the drama, Soderblom has been sick and didn’t travel with the team on their current road trip. Although, like Brossoit, he could join them at some point. Drew Commesso was subsequently called up from the IceHogs, but he didn’t play on the Blackhawks most recent back-to-back contests over the weekend. Mrazek played two nights in a row instead. This makes some sense, as it would have been rough to task Commesso to play against a very good Dallas Stars team for his NHL debut.

Lots of moving parts right now for the Blackhawks in net. Something to keep an eye on.

Blackhawks’ Second Line Center Trade Rumors

Earlier this week we heard from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period and hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, both reporting the Blackhawks could be looking to trade for a second line center.

But the problem here is that everyone wants centers, and they don’t come cheap. Sure, general manager Kyle Davidson will do his due diligence on the trade market, as he should. If the right situation presents itself, I’m sure Davidson will pull the trigger. But the price would have to be really right.

Related – Blackhawks Have the Pieces to Score More Goals This Season

It’s true the Blackhawks are hurting in this position right now. Kurashev has been the second line center for most of this season so far. But he’s struggled, and was actually a healthy scratch on Oct. 22 versus the Vancouver Canucks. Regardless, I believe the Blackhawks are looking at the longer term, and they’re still holding out for top prospect Frank Nazar to fill this position.

Frank Nazar Chicago Blackhawks
Frank Nazar, Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Nazar didn’t have the strongest training camp, but he still showed tons of potential. The organization decided it would be best for the 2022 13th overall draft pick to start the season in Rockford. Considering the Blackhawks lean towards the patient approach with their prospects, I would assume Nazar will spend a good amount of time with the IceHogs.

But Scott Powers of The Athletic thinks Nazar might get another chance with the big club as soon as this December or January. Here are some thoughts from Davidson that support this hypothesis.

I thought (his preseason) was strong, perhaps just not enough to kick the door down and jump into the NHL. But there’s some things we really liked about Frank’s game, and you can just see he’s such a smart player. He can make these plays that not a lot of other players can make. We love his pace. I think it’s just getting used to the pro game. Consistency for any young player is a big thing, but consistency using what he’s best at, his assets to his advantage, I think is something that’s best repped out in Rockford…But he’s got every opportunity to go down there and show us that he is ready to come up and stay.

(from ‘How Blackhawks plan to develop center prospect Frank Nazar in Rockford’, The AthleticCHI – 10/25/24)

Through four games with the IceHogs, Nazar is skating as their top line center and also playing on the power play and the penalty kill. He’s contributed two goals and two assists, along with numerous chances. In short, he’s off to a phenomenal start at the AHL level.

We’ll have to wait and see how this all plays out, but I think the Blackhawks are looking in-house to address their current lack of a true second line center.

Reichel’s Chance on the Top Line

Now let’s get to some thoughts from the last few handful of contests. Lukas Reichel has been through his troubles this season after also struggling in the 2023-24 campaign. He was a healthy scratch the first four games of this season, and then deployed on the fourth line for the following four games. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old took advantage of his ice time, registering three primary assists on three goals from his veteran linemate, Craig Smith, in a span of three games. Here’s the most recent one in the game against the Nashville Predators (Oct. 25). A confident Reichel (No. 73) streaks up the ice and patiently outwaits his defender to feed the puck to Smith.

As the game went along against the Predators, Reichel was rewarded with some shifts on the top line with Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen. Against the Stars (Oct. 26), Reichel was deployed on the top line to start the game.

The results of this were mixed. Reichel recorded one shot on goal, one giveaway and went one-of-five in the faceoff circle in just 12:33 minutes of ice time. Not exactly a glowing review. But the entire team struggled against a superior Stars’ team.

Head coach Luke Richardson recently gave his reasons why he’s been happier with Reichel’s play.

He’s trying to shoot pucks more, and he’s not cheating on the offensive side. He’s playing hard in the stick battles. He’s showing he wants to stay in the lineup.

I’ve noticed, like, when the puck goes away from him, he’s on his toes and he’s backchecking. You [used to] see disappointment in his body language, and [now you’re] seeing his body language is very good. He reacts really well without the puck.

One game on the top line is really too small of a sample size. Hopefully, Reichel will have a chance to stay on this line and build some chemistry with Bedard and Teravainen moving forward. It could be a good thing for Reichel, and for the struggling Blackhawks. Reichel has put in the time to improve his all-around game. Now he should be put in a position to play to his natural offensive strengths.

Other Blackhawks News & Notes

Here’s a few other things of note, and thoughts to ponder for the Blackhawks.

  • Lost in the excitement of a third Smith goal assisted by Reichel, defenseman Nolan Allan earned his first NHL point with the secondary assist Friday night versus the Predators. He didn’t have to wait long for his second point, which came the very next night; another secondary assist on Bedard’s goal.
  • In all the offseason pick ups, everyone kind of slept on the addition of Smith. But the 35-year-old currently boasts three goals and a primary assist through seven games. He’s gone out of his way to help Reichel along, and is a pro that understands his role and how he can best help the team. Great offseason addition!
  • Bedard is starting to get going. He’s scored a goal in each of the last two games, making that three goals on the season. The 2023 first overall pick is now leading the team with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists).
Connor Bedard Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard is currently leading the Chicago Blackhawks in points. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
  • There’s currently a five-way tie for the Blackhawks for the team lead of three goals; Nick Foligno, Smith, Teravainen, Ryan Donato and Bedard. Who woulda thought Smith and Donato would be on this list?! But there they are! Sidenote: Both have only played in seven of the Blackhawks’ nine games so far.
  • Did Kurashev really get any better from his benching, or is Richardson tasking him to play beyond his means? Definitely something to consider moving forward.
  • Wyatt Kaiser was promoted to the top defensive pairing in the Stars game after he had a solid night against the Predators. He held his own there, ending the night with two shots on goal, one hit and two blocked shots in 17 minutes of ice time. Having Kaiser on the top pairing could balance out the heavy minutes Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic have been playing since the beginning of the season. Alec Martinez is due back from a right groin injury soon, so that will also help out on the blue line.

Related – 6 Thoughts on the Blackhawks Start to the Season

The Blackhawks haven’t been able to win a lot of games, but they do have some promising trends going as the season gets rolling. Can they turn things around? The Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles King and Anaheim Ducks are on tap in the coming week. Let’s see if the Blackhawks can stop with the moral victories and find some more wins.

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