For many Blackhawks fans, the 2024-25 season is already practically in the books. The team is nowhere close to playoff contention, and many have shifted their focus to this summer’s draft, in which Chicago will almost certainly pick inside the top five.
But what if we looked ahead even further? The Blackhawks will be getting at least more watchable in the coming years, with their loaded prospect pool graduating to the NHL. After taking a crack at predicting the Blackhawks’ forward lines in Part 1, anticipating Chicago’s defensive pairings is just as tricky.
Prediction:
Alex Vlasic – Seth Jones
Kevin Korchinski – Connor Murphy
Ethan Del Mastro – Nolan Allan
Wyatt Kaiser/Louis Crevier
The first thing that pops off the page with this lineup is who’s not on it – Artyom Levshunov or Sam Rinzel. The two best defensive prospects in Chicago’s system aren’t quite ready for the NHL, and the Blackhawks have learned firsthand with players like Alex Vlasic and Wyatt Kaiser that it’s better to let blueliners fully develop before throwing them onto the ice.
You’ll notice I kept Seth Jones on this list. While he’s been one of the most talked-about Blackhawks on the trade block, we’ll assume for now that Chicago will hang onto him. If they don’t, the Blackhawks have plenty of options graduating from a loaded pipeline. As it is, they may have one too many bodies with Kaiser and Crevier both being ready for the NHL.
It’s all but guaranteed that we’ll see Korchinski crack the NHL lineup once again next season, as the AHL All-Star has been impressive since being sent down for a bit of extra work. He could slot in next to Connor Murphy, who will likely be in his last year with the Blackhawks next season.
Beyond the top two lines, we could see an all-out brawl for the final few roster spots. Del Mastro and Allan have both proven that they’re in the NHL to stay, but Crevier was also impressive before hitting IR at the start of the month with a concussion. The 23-year-old is also in the last year of his current contract, but he’s been good enough that he certainly earned another deal. Where does that leave Wyatt Kaiser? The 22-year-old was very good in Chicago to start the year, recording a plus-minus of just -3 in 35 games with the Blackhawks. He’s been roughly the same in 13 games in Rockford, but he’s spent enough time in the system that he’ll at least get a long look in training camp this fall. No matter who they go with, the Blackhawks are set; they’re flush with excellent, NHL-ready prospects who could be called up now if needed.
