Chicago Blackhawks: Defensive depth is still an issue long term

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a promising first two weeks to the NHL regular season. They have had an offensive explosion in their first five games, scoring 23 goals. 10 of those 18 came on opening night against the defending Stanley Cup Champion, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The elephant in the room

The Blackhawks offensive surge within the first three games is certainly a promising thing to see. Brandon Saad looks like he never left, and Patrick Kane continues to make defenders look like they do not belong in the NHL.  However, it’s inevitable that the Hawks powerful offense will slow down at some point. They can’t go into every game expecting to score nearly five goals a game (they currently have a 4.60 goals for per game, according to ESPN).

Once this offensive explosion levels out, the need for a consistent defense becomes necessary. According to ESPN, the Hawks currently are tied at No.26 for goals against per game, allowing just over two goals per game thus far. However, given their lack of depth at the defensive position, I expect this figure to increase.

The main fear that I have with the Hawks depth defensively is an issue that is unavoidable. We have all learned by now that both Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are about as close to a rock defensively as a player can be. However, the two Blackhawks legends certainly have their fair share of mileage on them.

 An issue that will rise quickly

The ultimate question that Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville has to be asking, is how many minutes can he devote to Seabrook and Keith. The Hawks certainly still have enough within their core to make a run in the playoffs, but they will need their two alternate captains to be at the peak of their game.

Both Keith and Seabrook continue to play their standard 25 and 21 minutes of ice time per game. If they can continue to play consistent hockey and remain healthy, Quenneville can ride them out.

However, the larger issue at hand that the Hawks face is figuring out who is going to be able to complement their two defensive stars. Jan Rutta currently is the answer, as the 27-year-old rookie has posted four points in the Hawks five games. His average time on the ice through the first five games is exactly 19 minutes, according to ESPN. These figures are promising because it tells us that the Hawks may have found their replacement to Niklas Hjalmarsson.

A tall task for a rookie, and the rest of the Hawks D

It certainly is promising that Rutta has performed well in the first two weeks. However, can the Blackhawks really put that much faith into the rookie once the playoffs come around? This is why I’m worried that with Keith and Seabrook playing their usual slate of minutes the Hawks could be shooting themselves in the foot.

Either way, you’re going to be playing devil’s advocate. If you decrease Keith and Seabrook’s minute totals in the regular season, the Hawks may struggle to surface as a contender in the Western Conference.

If Quenneville continues with what he is doing, he not only gives Keith and Seabrook a higher chance to sustain an injury, but he also does not give players like Rutta to gain more experience on the ice.

I’m more on the side of decreasing Keith and Seabrook’s ice time in the regular season. After being eliminated by the No. 8 seeded Nashville Predators in the playoffs last year, the Hawks know better than any team in the Western Conference that it doesn’t really matter what seed you earn in the playoffs, as long as you get in.

It’s certainly a big ask for players like Rutta and Gustav Forsling. Despite playing in 38 games last season, Forsling did not make his postseason debut. According to DailyFaceoff.com, Forsling and Rutta are the third defensive pairing in the Hawks’ lineup. However, given that they have averaged more ice time than both Michal Kempny and Connor Murphy, I view them as the second pairing.

Future Implications

Depending on how the Blackhawks finish this season, there could be a lot of dominoes to fall in the 2018 offseason. We are only two weeks in, but the Blackhawks are looking like they are going to be fighting with the best of the Western Conference. This is more of just an eye test than anything because of the sample size.

However, decreasing Keith and Seabrook’s ice time goes further than just the playoffs this year. It’s sad to say, but the torch is going to be passed soon. The pipeline is there for the Hawks, and they will need to start giving exposure to their young defensemen. I think that this has already started, but the Hawks need to identify who is going to be that next rock behind the blue line.