The Hawks get minor-league defender Dmitry Kuzmin back in the trade, who is good friends with Hawks’ top prospect Artyom Levshunov.

Isaak Phillips never really got a fair shake at ice time with the Chicago Blackhawks, so the team sent him to the Winnipeg Jets.

Phillips gets a chance to see if he can eventually get more playing time with the Jets, while the Hawks get a player back who is close to the team’s top prospect, Artyom Levshunov.

The Blackhawks have traded Isaak Phillips to Winnipeg for defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin. The Blackhawks wanted to give Phillips a chance elsewhere as he’s been passed up by some defensemen. Kuzmin knows Artyom Levshunov and could be helpful to Levshunov in Rockford.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) January 15, 2025

Phillips has played in just three games this season and has spent most of his time in Rockford. Phillips has skated in just 56 NHL games for the Hawks between 2021-2024 as he registered two goals and 10 assists. It was just time to move on considering he has played 299 AHL regular season games and is now starting to get on the old side for a prospect since he is 23.

The Blackhawks did the right thing by trading Phillips.

There was just no room on the roster in the long run for Phillips to carve out a regular role. Louis Crevier has passed him over as the preferred blueliner that shifts back-and-forth between Rockford and Chicago.

Plus, Crevier has been one of the team’s best puck-handlers lately among the defensive unit. With his size, he also has a better chance of getting a long-term role with the Hawks than Phillips.

With plenty of other future stud prospects, Phillips was no longer prized in the organization. Now, he gets a shot to see if he can break through on Winnipeg’s roster.

Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen comments on the reported Isaak Phillips for Dmitry Kuzmin trade. pic.twitter.com/7aPgrBO58J

— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) January 15, 2025

Also, the Hawks found a player who can help their No. 1 prospect adjust to the professional game with who is coming back in the deal.

That seems to be important these days as Levshunov was recently a healthy scratch for being late to a team meeting (a subscription required to access content linked). It is likely just an immature moment, but you can never be too careful given the investment the Hawks have already made just by bringing Levshunov into the organization.

Dmitry Kuzmin is a fellow countryman of Levshunov and a training partner.

Artyom Levshunov and Dmitry Kuzmin are good friends and summer training partners. Now they're now united in Rockford.

Quick story on the Blackhawks acquiring Kuzmin from the Jets today: https://t.co/QWxel2gCcf

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 15, 2025

If making Levshunov comfortable means bringing in his friend to hang out with in Rockford, that is just fine.

Kuzmin is not likely to make much of a contribution to the Hawks’ NHL roster anytime soon. He has played in just 21 games this season for Manitoba Moose, the Jet’s AHL affiliate. He skated in 18 games for the Moose last season.

Levshunov is being pegged as the team’s future No. 1 defenseman after he was taken No. 2 overall in the NHL’s most recent draft. His development is vital to the organization’s long-term hopes of getting back to being a Stanley Cup-contender. If adding a friend to help him adjust is what is needed to help grow his game, then that is fine because the Hawks have plenty of other prized blue-line prospects to not miss Phillips.

Former 2022 first-round pick Sam Rinzel is in the running for the Hobey Baker Award with his spectacular season at the University of Minnesota. He might be signing with the team after his NCAA season wraps up. Ethan Del Mastro and Kevin Korchinski are also refining their games in Rockford.

Alex Vlasic and Nolan Allan are already contributing to the NHL team with Vlasic working his way up into one of the better defensemen in the NHL and Allan is holding his own. Plus, Wyatt Kaiser still has a bit more promise than Phillips.

That is why it made sense for the Hawks to do the right thing and give Phillips a shot to catch on with another team.