Dietz: Keep in mind steep learning curve when evaluating Hawks’ Levshunov
Ask a veteran NHL defenseman how long it takes to get comfortable playing at the highest level, and many will say around 150 games.
That's basically two full seasons for those who struggle with math.
Where the majority of those games should be played — the AHL or NHL — is a topic of serious debate at times. There are myriad examples of high-end players who cut their teeth in the minors, but my two favorites are Duncan Keith and Gustav Forsling.
Keith spent two years in the AHL before being promoted to the Blackhawks for the 2005-06 season. He proceeded to capture three Stanley Cups while being named playoff MVP in 2015, defenseman of the year in 2010 and 2014, and one of the league's greatest 100 players in 2017.
Forsling, meanwhile, was rushed into the NHL in 2016-17. For three years he bounced between the Hawks and the Rockford IceHogs. After the Hawks gave up on him, Forsling spent one season with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers before the Florida Panthers claimed him in January 2021.
He almost instantly became one of the Panthers' best D-men and is currently in the second year of an eight-year, $46 million deal.
Why the mini history lesson? Because it's important to understand how steep the learning curve is for current Hawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov. The No. 2 overall pick played 52 games in Rockford last season and 18 with the Hawks. There were some who believed Levshunov should start with the IceHogs this season, but that did not happen and he has earned mostly positive reviews during 52 appearances.
Still, there have been struggles — especially lately — and that's why head coach Jeff Blashill scratched Levshunov for Saturday's game against Columbus. He'll likely also sit out Monday's game against San Jose and Wednesday's at Columbus before the NHL takes a three-week Olympic break.
Blashill understands the benefits of sitting a young player. And, optics be damned, he'll do it at any time as evidenced by Levshunov sitting for the home opener against Montreal on Oct. 11.
“The biggest thing for us is trying to look at his development path,” Blashill said that night. “Sometimes it’s OK to sit, to miss games. It’s (also) OK to, in certain games, not get a lot of ice time. That’s part of development too.
“I don’t think development is you just play and magically get better. Certainly playing is part (of it), but you have to have confidence and learning how to do things certain ways is part of it, too. … We feel the best place for him to be is with us right now (instead of the AHL).
“He’s going to play plenty of games and there are going to be some games he doesn’t play. That’s just the reality. But it’s not a big deal. It's part of the growth process for a lot of players.”
In the big picture, Levshunov has had a solid campaign. He has 2 goals and 19 assists, 10 of which have come on the power play. That leads the team, by the way.
He's also averaging 22 minutes and nine seconds of ice time in the last 24 games. That's a robust number for a rookie, so one thought might be to put Levshunov on the third pairing for a while to lessen the pressure.
Levshunov's rating in those 24 games was minus-22; before then it was minus-7. He was an unsightly minus-5 during a 6-2 loss at Pittsburgh on Friday. The Penguins scored 3 second-period goals in four minutes to expand their lead from 2-1 to 5-1.
Blashill said Levshunov will spend time working on basics that include shooting technique, defensive positioning and more accurate passing.
“One of the things (we) talked about was attacking the game offensively,” Blashill said. “And now he's given up some things defensively. Now we've got to refocus it and make sure that (he's) super sound defensively.
“Balance isn't easy. Balance takes guys a long time, and we'll continue to work with it.”
Can't argue with that. In the long run, Levshunov — and the Hawks — will be better for it.
Impressive milestone
In case you missed it, Patrick Kane passed Mike Modano on Thursday to become the all-time leading American-born point scorer. Kane, who now has 1,375 points, reached the historic number by assisting on Ben Chiarot's goal in the second period of Detroit's shootout loss to Washington.
Modano played in 1,499 games, with all but 15 of his 1,374 points coming with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars organization.
Kane hit the mark in his 1,343rd game. He had 1,225 points with the Blackhawks from 2007-2023.
“Patty, congratulations on becoming the American-born points leader,” Modano said in a social media message. “I knew at an early age in your career that you'd be the one chasing this number down, and here we are today. Your skill level, the ability to shoot the puck, pass, make plays, be creative … I couldn't be more proud of you.”
John Dietz, a sports writer at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covered the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.