Nothing guaranteed on Blackhawks' blue line
Competition is heating up on the Blackhawks' blue line.
And that's just fine with Ian Mitchell.
"It's fun," the rookie said before the Hawks hosted Carolina Thursday. "It's not going to be easy to try and stick in the NHL."
That likely won't be the case for Mitchell, a first-round pick the Hawks have been high on for years.
But there are plenty of others who know they can't waste a single opportunity this season.
Through 12 games, the Hawks have already used eight defensemen, four of whom are 23 or younger.
Against the Hurricanes, coach Jeremy Colliton trotted out Mitchell, Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Nikita Zadorov, Calvin de Haan and Nicolas Beaudin.
Other than Keith and Murphy, nobody should feel safe about their job considering Adam Boqvist could return next week from COVID-19 protocol and Brent Seabrook may be getting closer to returning from a back injury. Seabrook made a rare appearance on the bench during Wednesday's practice.
Also, the Hawks want to develop Lucas Carlsson (who has four appearances) and they may want to get a look at Wyatt Kalynuk, Alec Regula and Chad Krys. Even Madison Bowey, signed to a one-year deal last week, should get at least one game so he's eligible for the expansion draft this summer.
"It's definitely a good competition with a lot of good defensemen," said Mitchell, who averaged 14 minutes of ice time in his first 11 games. "It's exciting to be a part of. Each day I'm trying to come in with the mindset that I want to stick here. ...
"So far I've been doing that, but there's a lot of guys coming back now. We'll see what happens; just have to focus on playing well tonight."
More to give: Andrew Shaw admitted Thursday he's "OK" with his game.
"But," the veteran forward added, "I know I've got a lot more to give."
Shaw, who suffered a concussion against Colorado Nov. 30, 2019, missed the final 3½ months of last season and didn't take part in summer training as the Hawks prepared for the Stanley Cup playoffs in Edmonton.
Through Wednesday, he had 1 goal and 2 assists while averaging 15:15 of ice time. Shaw continues to play with an edge, but he also knows he's not all the way back.
"Missing 14 months was tough," Shaw said. "I made sure I was in great shape, made sure I was ready to play. But timing is a tough thing to work on.
"Just being in the right position on the ice in all zones, it's something I need to continue working on. I feel like I'm still winning a lot of my puck battles. Maybe I've got to start going to the net a little bit more."
He said it: "It's pretty special to be paired up with a guy like that ... growing up watching him and trying to be like him. Now he's yelling at me for not giving him the puck enough."
- Ian Mitchell on Duncan Keith