{"id":18960,"date":"2025-03-27T23:15:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T23:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18960"},"modified":"2025-03-27T23:15:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T23:15:39","slug":"blackhawks-rookie-artyom-levshunovs-play-is-erratic-but-his-talent-is-unmistakable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18960","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks rookie Artyom Levshunov’s play is erratic, but his talent is unmistakable"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Artyom<\/p>\n

NHL coaches love predictability, but Blackhawks rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov certainly isn\u2019t predictable right now.<\/p>\n

Instead, the 19-year-old plays like a wild man. Eight games into his NHL career, it\u2019s impossible to anticipate where he\u2019ll be or what he\u2019ll do at any given time.<\/p>\n

In the offensive zone, Levshunov might pinch way down below the goal line, dive to hold in a puck, shoot through heavy traffic or \u2014 on rare occasions \u2014 play normally along the blue line.<\/p>\n

In the defensive zone, he might or might not want to switch men off the faceoff and might or might not charge aggressively into a board battle. Even when he\u2019s trying to hold his position in front of the net, it\u2019s never certain what he\u2019ll consider his correct position to be.<\/p>\n

On breakouts and counterattacks, he might lead the rush, form a second layer or go for a line change. Defending the blue line, his gap control varies from extremely tight to extremely loose.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018[He does] some really good things, and [there\u2019s] some things he\u2019s got to learn,\u2019\u2019 Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said Wednesday. \u2018\u2018He\u2019s trying to learn to play in the NHL. I think his progression has been good in a lot of areas. Is he perfect? No.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Over time, the Hawks need Levshunov \u2014 the cornerstone of their loaded future defensive corps \u2014 to shed that erratic play and become more predictable. They need him to memorize his responsibilities in every situation and stick to game plans, at least most of the time. That will be a top priority for their new coach next season.<\/p>\n

But that element of chaos is also part of Levshunov\u2019s style, and the Hawks shouldn\u2019t eliminate what makes him, him. That\u2019s the delicate line former coach Luke Richardson crossed with young offensive defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser last season, forcing them to spend this season trying to rediscover their mojo.<\/p>\n

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\"Blackhawks <\/picture>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Even now, one of the most impressive things about Levshunov is how he finds ways to make most of those bewildering plays lead to positive results.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s such a gifted skater (in terms of speed, agility and explosiveness), has such elite vision and creativity and is so big and strong that he can do things few others can.<\/p>\n

When caught out of position, he can use his mobility and long stick to get back into position in a blink. And he doesn\u2019t panic in harrowing situations, either. His fearless approach to hockey and happy-go-lucky approach to life surely help with that.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I feel a lot more comfortable,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018I feel great, but the work goes on every day.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, Levshunov\u2019s initial NHL statistics are all over the charts. He had two assists Wednesday against the Devils and would have had three if Ryan Donato\u2019s goal on a deflection hadn\u2019t been overturned. He has four points in eight games and is averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time (including 24:04 on Wednesday).<\/p>\n

But the Hawks have allowed at least one goal during Levshunov\u2019s five-on-five shifts in seven consecutive games (outscored 10-3 in total), and he and Kaiser miscommunicated badly on the Devils\u2019 opening goal. Still, they\u2019ve only been outshot by a respectable 70-62 margin.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, if Levshunov plays Friday against the Golden Knights and Sunday against Utah, he\u2019ll reach 10 games, burning the first year of his three-year entry-level contract. The Hawks would be doing that intentionally to get him to restricted free agency in 2027 rather than 2028, making his second contract potentially less expensive.<\/p>\n

Korchinski\u2019s call-up Thursday from Rockford added yet another young defenseman to the mix, however, and it\u2019s unclear how Sorensen will juggle them all.<\/p>\n

In general, Kaiser seems like a good partner for Levshunov because his swift first three strides allow him to read off and cover for Levshunov relatively well.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut there, it\u2019s just a lot of feeling [it out],\u201d Kaiser said Thursday. \u201cYou see little tendencies, like a little twitch [meaning] he\u2019s going, so now I\u2019m going. Or if he\u2019s going to stay, we\u2019re going to stay. Your brain subconsciously figures it out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hawks definitely need their 19-year-old defensive cornerstone to become more predictable over time, but even now, his chaotic plays work more often than not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\nBlackhawks rookie Artyom Levshunov's play is erratic, but his talent is unmistakable - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=18960\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blackhawks rookie Artyom Levshunov's play is erratic, but his talent is unmistakable - 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