Chicago Blackhawks 2023-24 Player Grades: Defense

Chicago’s defense was not good at all this season. They allowed the fourth-most goals against per game (3.52 goals), which was a slight decrease from last season when they allowed the fifth-most goals against per game. They also had the sixth-worst penalty-killing percentage at a 75.76% success rate. Not one defenseman was a “plus” on the plus/minus scale or had more than eight goals. But grim stats aside, the defense’s prospects actually brought fans a lot of hope that they will eventually turn it around.

My colleague, Gail Kauchak, and I tag-teamed on these grades, and all of her submissions will be marked with an asterisk (*). The rest are my grades. Here is how they fared!

Kevin Korchinski

5 goals, 10 assists, 15 points, and was a minus-39 in 76 games. ATOI (Average Time on Ice): 19:37.
26 hits, 23 takeaways, 72 giveaways, and 82 blocked shots.

As 19-year-old Kevin Korchinski described in his exit interview, he had an “up and down” season. He had trying moments where he did get benched at one point, but he also showed a lot of excitement with his skating, vision, and offensive potential. The Blackhawks wanted him to find his defensive game since he thrives on the offensive side and to be “meaner.”

It wasn’t always pretty, as his minus-38 rating suggests, but his rookie mistakes were expected since defensemen in the NHL can take longer to develop. However, there is a lot to be excited about regarding his potential. He was second-best in goals on the team amongst defensemen, and he battled hard in practices. Hopefully, he will take a bigger step next season.

Final Grade: C-

*Nikita Zaitsev

2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, and was a minus-5 in 76 games. ATOI: 15:56.
69 hits, 10 takeaways, 16 giveaways, and 70 blocked shots.

The Blackhawks acquired 32-year-old veteran defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and his $4.5 million cap hit in Feb. 2023 to help them get to the cap floor. Since then, Zaitsev has really been nothing more than a placeholder during injuries and not to rush the defensive prospects. When he wasn’t a healthy scratch, Zaitsev lined up on the Blackhawks’ third defensive pairing, where he never really established himself as dependable. He’s currently an unrestricted free agent that’s highly unlikely to be re-signed.

Final Grade: D

Wyatt Kaiser

0 goals, 7 assists, 7 points, and was an even plus/minus in 32 games. ATOI: 17:19.
22 hits, 7 takeaways, 23 giveaways, and 46 blocked shots.

Kaiser was an interesting case all season because the 21-year-old impressed so much out of training camp but then struggled greatly out of the gate in the NHL, so much so that the Blackhawks sent him down to the Rockford IceHogs. But when they recalled him in March, he looked like a different player. He was steady, had great anticipation, and was making all the right plays. Head coach Luke Richardson said he wanted him to utilize his skating and hone in on his puck skills, and it seems he did. He bounced back significantly, and Rockford’s Calder Cup Playoff run should be even more beneficial for him going into next season.

Final Grade: C

Jarred Tinordi

0 goals, 9 assists, 9 points, minus-27 in 52 games played. ATOI: 15:39.
171 hits, 4 takeaways, 23 giveaways, and 94 blocked shots.

Jarred Tinordi‘s season was disappointing because he did well last year, where he earned the love of his teammates and coaches and earned himself a one-year contract extension, but any success he found last season seemingly went out the window. He found himself out of position and losing his “guy” too many times to count. It seemed like whenever there was a goal against, he was on the ice for it. He still stood up for his teammates with big hits and fights, leading the team in penalty minutes (64) and the defense in hits, which is what he is good for, but it wasn’t enough to mask his overall game this season. Unfortunately, I don’t believe he will be re-signed.

Final Grade: F

*Louis Crevier

0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, minus-16 in 24 games. ATOI: 15:41.
30 hits, 4 takeaways, 9 giveaways, and 50 blocked shots.

It’s hard to believe this 2020 seventh-round draft pick (188th overall) actually played in 24 games this season. But with all the injuries on the back end, the Blackhawks probably ended up using Crevier more than expected. The 6-foot-8 defenseman mostly played on the third defensive pairing, but he also found a bit of a niche alongside 6-foot-6 Vlasic. The two had some chemistry from being defensive partners the previous season with the Rockford IceHogs.

When Seth Jones was sidelined with a shoulder injury in mid-December, Crevier found himself playing on the top D-pairing with Vlasic for a couple of games. But Crevier is mostly a shutdown defenseman. Head coach Luke Richardson credited the 22-year-old with keeping it simple, blocking the shot lanes, and just playing smart. Crevier is currently helping the IceHogs in their playoff run, but he’ll be a restricted free agent after that. It’s unclear whether the Blackhawks organization will re-sign him and further invest in his future. But it’s safe to say he’s made a good first impression.

Final Grade: C+

*Isaak Phillips

0 goals, 6 assists, 6 points, minus-26 in 33 games played. ATOI: 17:04.
56 hits, 14 takeaways, 21 giveaways, and 36 blocked shots.

Isaak Phillips is another 2020 draft pick (5th round, 141st overall) who saw a lot of time up with the big club this season because of injuries. The Blackhawks also utilized him throughout the lineup, on both the left and right side. The 22-year-old had many ups and downs as he tried to acclimate to the NHL and his inconsistent deployment. Coach Richardson praised Phillips for improving his grittiness and physicality but also felt he was still very inconsistent in his efforts. Like Louis Crevier, Phillips will be a restricted free agent when the IceHogs season is over. I think Phillips has a higher ceiling than Crevier, but with a crowded defensive pipeline, he might not have proven enough to stay with the organization.

Final Grade: C-

Connor Murphy

2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, minus-19 in 46 games. ATOI: 19:50.
116 hits, 12 takeaways, 26 giveaways, and 113 blocked shots.

There is no bigger fan-favorite than Connor Murphy because he is the longest-tenured Blackhawk (7 years and counting), but his play was not overly good for him. Up until January, he and Jason Dickinson were the only two Blackhawks who had not missed a game, which was great for him considering his injury history and the team’s injury woes, but then Murphy was out of the lineup with osteitis pubis, which is a chronic inflammatory issue that caused him to miss three months.

But before the injury, his stats were one of the worst in the league amongst defensemen, and the eye test showed it, too. However, maybe that lingering injury was a contributing factor, making him challenging to grade. It was fantastic to see him able to return for some final games, but overall, it was a season to forget for the 31-year-old.

Final Grade: C-

Jaycob Megna

0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, minus-15 in 44 games. ATOI: 17:31.
60 hits, 12 takeaways, 27 giveaways, and 87 blocked shots.

One of the reinforcements brought in to help the team during their injury woes was 31-year-old Jaycob Megna, and he was a constant in the Blackhawks’ d-core since January. The Northbrook, IL native started out with a bang, being a plus-2 in his first 10 games, but then saw some struggles to close out the season. There were a lot of nights where he wasn’t noticeable (in a good way) and other times where goaltender Petr Mrazek would yell at him for a defensive breakdown. Overall, give and take there, but he was a steady presence when the Hawks were missing stability due to injuries.

Final Grade: C-

Filip Roos

0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, minus-4 in 4 games played. ATOI: 14:44.
8 hits, takeaways, 2 giveaways, 2 blocked shots

Filip Roos played four games in December after being recalled from when Nikita Zaitsev was placed on the non-roster, and it wasn’t very memorable. The 6-foot-4 defenseman had some solid moments last season, but his contract is up this summer, and I don’t believe he will be re-signed due to the pipeline getting crowded.

Final Grade: D

*Alex Vlasic

2 goals, 14 assists, 16 points, minus-4 in 76 games played. ATOI: 21:29.
56 hits, 60 takeaways, 47 giveaways, and 148 blocked shots.

The breakout player on the defense was Alex Vlasic. He’s exceeded everyone’s expectations, including his own. Here’s just a classic comment from the 22-year-old during the team’s end of season exit interviews. Alex Vlasic said the Blackhawks’ win in Toronto in October was a turning point for his career. “[That] was like, ‘I’m here, and I’m pretty good.’ I just remember leaving that game and I was like, ‘Damn!'”

It’s really been impressive to watch Vlasic do so consistently well all season long. He’s just so good at using his size and long reach to break up plays. And he’s smart; almost always in the right position. He finished the season with the most blocked shots, takeaways, and shorthanded time (176:50 minutes) on the team. He tallied the second-most assists and points of all defensemen, behind his defensive partner, Jones. Oh, and then there’s The Athletic’s Harman Dayal, who published an article where he ranked Vlasic as the second-best shutdown defenseman in the league. In the league!!!  (from ‘Who are the NHL’s best shutdown defensemen and whey are they so valuable?’, The Athletic – 4/4/24)

I don’t believe in giving perfect marks because there’s always room for improvement. But Vlasic was pretty damn close, considering this was just his first full NHL season.

Final Grade: A

Ethan Del Mastro

0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, plus/minus-0 in 2 games. ATOI: 18:35.
2 hits, 0 takeaways, 1 giveaway, and 0 blocked shots.

Ethan Del Mastro was one of the defense prospects who deserved an NHL look. He was an AHL All-Star and was even named Rookie of the Year for the IceHogs team awards. He was able to slot in for two NHL games just to give the coaching staff a look since he could make the NHL jump next season, and he was good. He wasn’t out of position and made some solid plays. He is a big defenseman at 6-foot-4 and has a great shot with physicality to match. It’s hard to get a total evaluation for only playing in two games, but in those games, he held his own, and for a 21-year-old, that says a lot.

Final Grade: B

*Seth Jones

8 goals, 23 assists, 31 points, minus-15 in 67 games played. ATOI: 25:29.
77 hits, 40 takeaways, 60 giveaways, and 131 blocked shots.

So much hate is thrown at Seth Jones because of his mega-contract. At $9.5 million a year for eight years, he’s supposed to just be lighting it up out there. Which he isn’t. And let’s face it; Jones doesn’t exactly have the oratory skills of Nick Foligno. He’s rather good at putting his foot in his mouth:

Yeah, you could take this as Jones not wanting to be in Chicago. Or, you could take this as someone who’s just being brutally honest (when maybe he shouldn’t be). He didn’t sign up for a rebuild, but that’s how it turned out. So, he’s had to put his head down and deal with the lumps for a few years. It’s not exactly as if Jones has been slacking off. His average TOI of 25:29 minutes was first on the team and fourth in the league. He had the most goals, assists, and points of all defensemen on the team. Jones accounted for three power-play goals when no other defenseman had any and four game-winning goals, tied with Jason Dickinson for most on the team.

On the defensive end, Jones was third in shorthanded time on the team, behind only Vlasic and Dickinson. His 131 blocked shots was second on the team behind Vlasic. Sure, I guess you could knock him for having the second-most giveaways, behind Kevin Korchinski. Or for that -15 goal differential (up from -38 and -37 in the last two seasons). Or you might argue he should be scoring more goals (his 172 shots on goal was second on the team, only behind Connor Bedard, who had 206 shots).
Jones might not have wanted things this way the last few seasons, but now the organization has committed to “taking a step forward” in the rebuild. Plus, he’s seen first-hand the promising young talent that’s already making an impact. For Jones’ sake, I hope the Blackhawks reach contention again while he’s still in Chicago.

Final Grade: B+

Overall, these defensemen were just fair, which is about what you would expect from them. Yet, the upcoming talent shows that the defense is on the right track. They showed that growing pains are inevitable but will ultimately make them better in the long run. The future of the Blackhawks’ defense is bright, even though this season was rough.