Could Artyom Levshunov benefit developmentally from a stint in the AHL?

PITTSBURGH — The reasons for the Chicago Blackhawks to send Artyom Levshunov to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL for a development stint are beginning to outnumber the reasons not to.

The Blackhawks have been willing to weather the 20-year-old Levshunov’s ups and downs this season because the positives of keeping him in the NHL have often seemed to outweigh the negatives. He’s been playing a ton and often been among the team’s ice-time leaders. He’s getting vital reps and seeing an assortment of situations in all zones. He’s been running the top power-play unit.

Levshunov has looked great in some stretches this season. He’s become more assertive offensively and looked more for his own scoring opportunities. He can see the ice and make plays that not many defensemen can make. He has also been learning to balance when to be aggressive and when to sit back. He and Wyatt Kaiser have been paired for much of the season and have created chemistry together. When Levshunov’s been on, he’s looked like everything the Blackhawks hoped he would be as a No. 2 draft pick.

But there have also been plenty of games Levshunov has struggled and been a liability. The accuracy of his exit passes can be inconsistent. His decision-making can be questionable and has backfired on the Blackhawks. The power play hasn’t thrived with him running it. While Kaiser has been good on and off the ice for Levshunov, that has also been a challenge for Kaiser as he’s also trying to be a consistent player in his first full NHL season.

Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins felt like a tipping point. Levshunov and Kaiser were on the ice for five goals against, including four in the second period. While it’s unfair to blame all those goals on them, there’s no denying it was a bad game for the pairing, especially Levshunov.

“I didn’t think he played good,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said of Levshunov. “Obviously the pairing (had) a tough night. So he’s got to rebound and play better tomorrow night. That’s part of kind of the roller coaster that we expected to see from young defensemen. Sometimes it’s a hard position in this league. Even though he’s kind of trial by fire, he’s just going to have to continue to learn through these experiences. I think he’s played lots of good hockey, and tonight wasn’t as good.”

Blashill mentioned he thought Levshunov played well against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. But lately, it has felt as if Levshunov has struggled more than he’s excelled. Since Jan. 7, the Blackhawks have been outscored 16-3 with Levshunov on the ice in five-on-five situations. In the 12-game span, the Blackhawks have also had a 35.9 expected goals percentage with him on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. He has had zero goals and one assist during that time.

The Blackhawks are carrying only six defensemen right now, so Blashill’s options are limited. Early in the season, Blashill sat Levshunov and Sam Rinzel for a game when they were struggling, to give them a reset. In the case of Rinzel, the Blackhawks opted to send him to Rockford, and he’s been there since Dec. 8.

What Rinzel was going through then doesn’t seem much different from Levshunov’s experience now.

“We’ll continue to evaluate as we keep going,” Blashill said when asked whether Levshunov needed some kind of reset. “He’s played some good games. … Again, we’re kind of learning through going through it and trial by fire a little bit. We’ll continue to evaluate to determine what’s the best decision for that.”

A stint with the IceHogs could be beneficial in a lot of ways for Levshunov. For one, he could probably use fewer games. January has been a packed schedule with the Olympics approaching. It’s been trying for veterans but especially the young players. Blashill noted Thursday that there were a number of players whose confidence had taken a hit. Levshunov can get a breather and really zero in, on video and on the ice, on the areas he’s struggling in. It’s not a matter of being unable to play in a lot of situations in the NHL, but he’s still grasping how to do it consistently.

Levshunov can also really take the time to work on his shot. Skills coach Brian Keane has been working with him lately to create more power and deception in his shot. The Blackhawks believe if Levshunov can improve his shot, he can finish on more of his chances. He has two goals on 66 shots this season. With fewer games and more practice in Rockford, Levshunov can devote the time needed to make such a complicated change.

The Blackhawks probably fear that Levshunov will struggle with a demotion to Rockford. He didn’t look all that interested rejoining the IceHogs late last season after finishing the season with the Blackhawks. But the hard truth right now may be that he needs it. Thursday’s game may be the extreme of his struggles, but many more like that can’t be great for his confidence or the team’s morale.

At the very least, the Blackhawks could probably use another defenseman to come up from Rockford and give Levshunov a game or two off. Blashill also used seven defensemen early in the season to protect Levshunov some.

The Blackhawks do play again Friday, so a decision one way or another will come quickly.

Let’s go through the Penguins’ six goals.

The Penguins’ first goal, which made it 1-1 in the first period, came just seconds after the Penguins’ Blake Lizotte appeared to get away with a trip on Alex Vlasic. Lizotte was stabbing at the puck near Vlasic’s skates near the end wall, and it looked as if he got Vlasic’s skates, sending Vlasic to the ice.

Nothing was called, the puck was sent to the front of the net, and the Penguins put their first two shots of the game on Arvid Söderblom. The second of those was a slot shot from Connor Dewar that found the inside of the net.

The rest of the Penguins’ goals weren’t so lucky. You could see the second goal coming: They were putting pressure on the Blackhawks shift after shift early in the second period.

Leading up to the goal, Levshunov had a chance to exit the defensive zone, but he missed the puck along the boards, and the Penguins gained possession. The Blackhawks forwards were beginning to break toward the neutral zone and had to reverse course. The puck got passed to Ben Kindel, and he finished from the left circle. The goal was the first of four for the Penguins in the second period.

On the third goal, Tyler Bertuzzi had the puck taken off him high in the offensive zone, but the Blackhawks appeared to have the Penguins defended on the rush. Levshunov was deep in the defensive zone, and Kaiser skated to defend Evgeni Malkin at he entered the zone. Malkin spun and left the puck for Egor Chinakhov as he entered the zone.

Levshunov sought to knock the puck off Chinakhov as he approached the right circle. Chinakhov put himself and the puck past Levshunov and beat Söderblom at the net.

Thirty-one seconds later, the Penguins scored again. On the fourth goal, Kaiser had tripped near the Penguins’ blue line, spun and had to gather himself before skating back to defend. Teuvo Teräväinen and Levshunov were expecting Kaiser to be the safety net in the back. When he wasn’t, the Blackhawks gave another clear path to the net. Levshunov jumped up to defend the puck in the neutral zone, and Anthony Mantha flew into the play, got past all the Blackhawks and scored on the breakaway.

The fifth goal came after another round of pressure from the Penguins. The Blackhawks had cleared the puck, but the Penguins came right back at them, easily entered the zone and started putting more shots on Söderblom. After a few attempts around the net, the Penguins kicked the puck out, and Ryan Shea, a former Blackhawks prospect, scored from the perimeter with 30 seconds left in the period.

On the sixth and final goal, the Blackhawks allowed the Penguins to get too deep again with too many chances around the net. Levshunov and the Penguins’ Noel Acciari got into a shoving match as the goal occurred.

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