Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville often says he can’t have enough defensemen. That theory is being tested.
The Blackhawks are packed with defensemen right now, even after placing Tim Erixon on waivers and reassigning Kyle Cumiskey on Saturday. Here’s a look at the Blackhawks’ defenseman situation and how it could impact them down the stretch:
Duncan Keith, lefty: Keith remains one of the premier puck-possession players in the NHL. He’s second in the league with a plus-297 Corsi. His offensive production numbers are down from a season ago. He had 61 points in 79 games last season and has just 36 points in 62 games this season. Despite being asked to play with some different defensemen this season, he still has a team-best plus-15 goal differential. As usual, he'll be asked to play a lot of minutes throughout the next months.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, lefty: Quenneville continues to rely on Hjalmarsson as the Blackhawks’ top shutdown defenseman. Hjalmarsson starts in the defensive zone more than any other Blackhawks and ranks in the league’s top 20 with 388 defensive-zone starts. Despite that and often facing the opponent’s top line, he has a 52.3 Corsi percentage and is a plus-5 in goal differential. He can play both sides, but will likely return to the right side.
Brent Seabrook, righty: Seabrook was having a solid season until 2015 hit. He had seven goals, 21 points, was a plus-147 Corsi and had a plus-2 goal differential through December. Since then, he has zero goals, seven assists, is a minus-29 Corsi and has a minus-9 goal differential. He’s also seen a variety of partners over the last month and a half since being separated with Keith. He could be put together with Keith again.
Johnny Oduya, lefty: Oduya has been having his worst season since joining the Blackhawks. He’s under 50 percent Corsi for the first time and is a minus-14 in goal differential. Oduya suffered an upper-body injury on Sunday and is expected to be out two weeks. He’ll remain on the left side when he returns and could be reunited with Hjalmarsson.
Kimmo Timonen, lefty: Timonen was acquired by the Blackhawks on Friday. He hasn’t played all season because of blood clots, so there is a bit of an unknown with him. He’s also 39 years old. Despite that, there are positives for the Blackhawks. One is Timonen has been a good possession defenseman throughout his career. He was a 55 percent Corsi last season. He is also fresh. It may take him a bit to knock off the rust, but it’s not as if he has a full season of wear and tear on him. He also has power-play experience.
Michal Rozsival, righty: Rozsival was in Quenneville’s good graces until recently. Rozsival was on the ice for five 5-on-5 goals over two games which led to him being a healthy scratch the last two games. After rotating in and out of the Blackhawks lineup the previous two seasons, he was made an everyday player this season out of necessity. It’s had varied results. With the abundance of defensemen, Quenneville may give Rozsival some time off and see how he responds. He could potentially be paired with Timonen and utilized more with offensive-zone starts like he was with Nick Leddy the past few seasons.
David Rundblad, righty: Rundblad’s upside is his offense. He has a strong shot and has created for the Blackhawks off of it. He’s played in just 40 games, but he’s only behind Keith and Seabrook in points among the team’s defensemen. Rundblad’s defensive-zone play has been consistent. It’s because of that area he’s been a healthy scratch at times. He would also be a candidate to be put through waivers with so many defensemen in the mix, but Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman traded a second-round pick for him and is high on him.
Trevor van Riemsdyk, righty: Van Riemsdyk is the wild card. He was getting better and better over the first two months and was receiving more ice time before he suffered a knee injury. He’s been out since Nov. 16. He was assigned to the AHL this past week and will likely play his first games next weekend with the Rockford IceHogs. If everything works out well, he could be back with the Blackhawks the second or third week of March. It is a lot to ask of a rookie to step into a playoff push coming off an injury. He’ll likely get a chance to prove himself. It’ll likely be between him, Rozsival and Rundblad for that sixth defenseman spot on the right side. Quenneville could easily shelter that third pairing as he has done in past seasons.
