It's no secret that the big, sexy storyline for the upcoming season is what Connor Bedard will do in his rookie year, but another storyline I am really looking forward to watching play out is the development and growth of the young defenseman in this system. Before we get into that, let's take a look at what the blue line looks like come Tuesday night in Pittsburgh: Alex Vlasic - Seth Jones Kevin Korchinski - Connor Murphy Jarred Tinordi - Wyatt Kaiser Seventh Man: Nikita Zaitsev (projections based on Thursday night pairings) What do we know for sure about this d-core as of today? Seth Jones and Connor Murphy will be playing a lot of minutes this season. This won't be anything new, as last season Jones averaged 24:27 of time on ice and Murphy averaged 19:23 of time on ice. No matter what your feelings are about these two defenders, they are leaders on the blue line, and the defense will be built around them. That is, until the young core is ready to take over, but that’s still two years away at the earliest. What we don’t know, and it will be interesting to see, is how Coach Richardson fills out the other four spots on the defensive unit. I think a very safe assumption is that Tinordi will be getting a decent amount of time; he brings a nice grit level to the game each night he is in the lineup. I mean, the guy got into a fight the first game back after breaking his face last season. That now leaves three spots. This is going to be a revolving door to fill these spots out. You have veteran Zaitsev who will get games, but hes no more than a third-paired low-minute player just hanging around to collect the remaining year of his contract. Does Coach Richardson feel confident enough in Vlasic, Korchinski, and Kaiser to play decent minutes this season? There are a few good options in case things aren’t working out with those three, and if they aren’t working out, there's no need to panic. Developing solid defenders is much harder than it is to develop forwards. You let these guys get some experience, and if need be, you bring up Nolan Allan, Filip Roos, Ethan Del Mastro, Isaak Phillips, or even Louis Crevier and let them get in on the action. This team is not going to win a lot of games this year, and that’s ok. The most important thing is to let the younger kids get a taste of NHL action and see where they are at and what needs to be done to get them to the next level.
Goaltending Just a quick hit on the goalies; we know the tandum to start the season is going to be Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom. Coach Richardson has said the plan is to alternate between the two to let them get a groove, find their game, and go from there. As sure as the sky is blue, you know Mrazek will go down at some point this year, most likely to a groin injury, and when this happens, I hope Jaxson Stauber is the first man up. Do I think he's the better option in Rockford? While I was impressed with his short stint with the Hawks last season, I just don’t see him in the plans for the future of this team. I think Drew Commesso is being built up as the future number one on this team, and because of this, I would rather him stay in Rockford and continue to develop and build his confidence. He is going to see NHL action this season, but let's try and keep it minimal until the time is absolutely right. I would love to hear all of your opinions on the defense and goalie situations this season. I will be the first to admit that my coverage of these parts of the game is lacking. I grew up in a center and never took the time to really learn the positions beyond the absolute basics. Feel free to roast me all you guys want; I know it's all true! The Hawks are wrapping up their preseason schedule this Saturday with a trip to St. Louis, and I don’t expect many of the big names will be making the trip. We are so close to the return of NHL regular-season hockey, and despite the expectations for this team this year, I couldn’t be more excited. Let's go Hawks!
Check out the interview over at WCBPodcast!