The Blackhawks are already looking to rebuild the prospects they chose before Ivan Demidov

Raphael Simard
The Blackhawks are already looking to rebuild the prospects they chose before Ivan Demidov
Credit: Getty Images

In the 2024 draft, the Blackhawks selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the second overall pick.

Chicago clearly needed a defenseman, but the club still passed over a young Russian talent, Ivan Demidov. It may be too early to say that Levshunov is a bust or a bad choice, but so far, things aren't looking good.

Demidov has 45 points in 54 games and is giving Hawks fans nightmares.

Beckett Sennecke, who was selected immediately after Levshunov, isn't doing too badly either.

He has 43 points in 54 games. And let's not even talk about Cayden Lindstrom, who was selected before Demidov and two spots after the Chicago defenseman…

(Credit: NHL.com)

All this to say that the Hawks are not satisfied with their young defenseman's play, so much so that they want to “rebuild” him.

Ben Pope, a reporter covering the team for the Chicago Sun-Times, says it's possible he won't play again until the Olympics.

The 20-year-old Belarusian didn't start the season badly. On the contrary, he was playing good hockey. But since then, it's been a little more difficult.

It must be said that the schedule is very condensed, and for a young European defenseman, that can be more taxing.Anyway, usually it's the Canadiens who “rebuild” prospects chosen before players who break everything.

It feels good to be on the other side of the spectrum.

Getting back to Levshunov, the club's head coach, Jeff Blashill, wants him to work on three aspects of his game, among others: his shooting technique, his ability to send the puck to the right place (his vision of the game, in other words), and his positioning and defensive footwork.

He's still young and not a finished product. Chicago will be patient with a defenseman who was selected two years ago as the second overall pick. But let's just say that when you compare him to Demidov and Sennecke, it doesn't look good. I would perhaps add Michael Hage Zeev Buium, who, in my opinion, was/is the best defenseman in the draft, to the discussion.


Overtime

– Rocket victory.

– Still.

– Good news for the habs and other Atlantic clubs.

– The Lions dominate.

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