LAS VEGAS — There’s a lot to like about defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who will likely become a member of the Chicago Blackhawks’ pick two in the NHL Draft on Friday night. it is big. It’s broad. He skates well. He is a talented playmaker. He has good hands and good feel. He has a big personality that will play well in the room and in Chicago. He is a well-known player who has played against well-known opponents, having spent last season at Michigan State, often under the watchful eye of the Blackhawks.
Levshunov is a safe choice. Smart choice. Good Choice.
There’s a lot to wonder about winger Ivan Demidov, who likely won’t be a member of the Blackhawks on Friday night. He’s very talented, but maybe too young. His puck skills are impressive on tape, but most scouts and executives have never seen him in person. A knee injury kept him out of the draft at the combine. There is no clear consensus on how a player’s performance in the MHL — Russia’s second-tier league — translates into NHL potential. And there’s always the Russian factor, which is the possibility that it may not come to North America as soon as there are other possibilities.
Demidov’s choice is a tense choice, a bold choice, a high-risk choice, but a high-reward choice.
Yeah, well, death is safe in the NHL. And Demidov is. right He chooses.
Connor Bedard needs help. Oh, Lord Stanley, does he need help? He needs help now, he needs help a year from now, and he needs help for the next 15 years. He needs a running buddy, Kane to Toews, Panarin to Kane, Draisaitl to McDavid, Tkachuk to Barkov, Rantanen to McKinnon. He needs a real winger with real talent, someone to keep up with him and push him, someone with the vision and skill to find him and set up that big shot, someone with the hands to handle those and bury them. The impossible saucer passes.
The Blackhawks have a number of good forwards in the NHL and in the system — Lucas Reichel, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and a group of next-level prospects like Ryan Green, Colton Dach, Nick Landis and Roman Kantserov. All of them could be useful NHL players, and some are very productive. None of them are expected to be good players. great That. Demidov does. Or at least he might. And that’s the player the Blackhawks need. That’s the player Bedard needs, someone who brings out the best in him.
Maybe they can find that player via trade, but it’s unlikely the Blackhawks will be able to acquire Mitch Marner anytime soon. You might find that player via free agency, and one of the most popular speculations creeping into Las Vegas this week is that the Blackhawks are keeping tabs on incredible Minnesota winger Kirill Kaprizov, whose contract expires in two years. But Kaprizov will be 29 in two years – that would-be dream piece is Marian Hossa’s final piece, not Kane’s, the great twin who has continued throughout his career.
Chances are, you’ll find this player in the draft. And if general manager Kyle Davidson lives up to his declaration that the Blackhawks will no longer be bottom feeders and will look to be significantly more competitive in the coming seasons, this could be their last and best chance next season to pick a top two or three pick to go with Bedard.
This is something they should not miss.
Let me preface the inevitable (and understandable) criticism of this switch to meatball by freely admitting that I’ve watched very little of either player — a few Michigan State games during the postseason, and a few videos of Demidov. I’m not a forecasting expert, nor do I claim to be. But being a Chicago-based writer in Las Vegas this week is like having a flashing red sign above your head that says “Ask me about pick No. 2!” You can’t roll a pair of dice without bumping into a forecaster, an amateur scout, or an assistant general manager. And since everyone knows the San Jose Sharks are selecting Maclin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick, all the intrigue begins with the Blackhawks with the No. 2 pick.
In essence, my job is to talk to people smarter than me, and then use their insights to draw my own conclusions. everyone Likes Levshunov. He will play in the NHL. He’s going to be a good NHL player. He might even become the NHL’s true No. 1 defenseman, an invaluable piece of the championship puzzle. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking Levshunov. Davidson said Thursday that the team has settled on its selection, and almost everyone in the hockey world assumes it will be Levshunov. It will be a good choice. Good Choice.
Scouting reports on Demidov are a bit more varied. Some, such as: The athleteCorey Brunman, is a huge fan but has some concerns. Some, like: The athleteScott Wheeler, head coach of the national team, believes he is the second best player in the league. But here’s what you notice when you talk to league presidents in the hockey world: Those who like Demidov, love Demidov. They see the brilliance. They see skills and instincts that you can’t teach. They see more than 40 goals a year. They see Nikita Kucherov. There is a fervor and passion that Levshunov never seems to evoke.
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It’s worth the risk you might associate with Demidov. He deserves the No. 2 pick. Because that’s what the Blackhawks need.
While I freely admit that you can never have enough good defensemen, the Blackhawks have a slew of NHL-ready prospects on the blue line already. Chicago traded Alex DeBrincat for the No. 7 pick two years ago and took Kevin Korchinski, who has held his NHL status as a 19-year-old and could still be the No. 1 the Blackhawks envisioned. Alex Vlasic’s sudden rise has been a gift from the hockey gods, giving the Blackhawks another surefire top-four defenseman. Seth Jones, regardless of whether you think he’s overpaid, is still a very good player, and a top-four-worthy defenseman for years to come. Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan are knocking on the door. Another 2022 first-round pick, puck-movers Sam Renzel, is on his way. Will Levshonov vault to the top of that list? Quite possibly. But the need is much greater up front. Hopefully the first and second picks won’t come up too often.
Demidov is expected to move to North America before the 2025-26 season. Any concerns about the so-called Russian factor were supposed to be allayed this month, anyway, with the revelation that Matvey Mitchkov would be moving to Philadelphia in the fall, two years ahead of schedule. The best players want to play in the best league, and in the end, nothing will stop them.
Demidov will He needs to be in the NHL in 2025-26. He needs to do it in a Blackhawks uniform. He needs to do it skating next to Bedard. And he needs to do it for the next decade. The Blackhawks need goals. The Blackhawks need stars. The Blackhawks need bold options. The Blackhawks need to do Bedard right. The Blackhawks need Demidov.
Take the knockout shot. Take the opportunity. Take the wing.
(Top photo by Ivan Demidov: Ian Mawley/NHLI via Getty Images)
