Dietz: Blackhawks general manager Davidson can't let youth run wild next season

While another disappointing season is coming to an end for the Blackhawks, there is nonetheless a bit of excitement in the air.

It stems from the additions of forward Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel, two guys hoping to help the Hawks become Stanley Cup contenders down the road. Expect them to see plenty of ice time in the final five games.

Soon enough, this excitement will give way to the reality that you can't go into next season with a dozen Diaper Dandy defensemen who were all born this century. Do that and you're not running a team correctly.

Ideally, GM Kyle Davidson will give many of these youngsters — especially those on the blue line — ample time to develop in the AHL. That means he should add 2-3 veteran defensemen via trade or free agency.

“I trust that it would (go) back to having more guys developing in Rockford and guys here that deserve to be in situations where they're put in with a veteran guy,” said 32-year-old Connor Murphy, signed through next season. “It's hard to develop when you don't have a veteran to play with. When I came in I played with Keith Yandle, Oliver-Ekman Larsson and Derek Morris. Those were veterans and stud players.”

We'll pause here to point out that while Ekman-Larsson was only 22 when Murphy was a rookie with Arizona, he did have 178 games of experience from the previous three seasons.

“I wasn't really even ready, but they just handled so much of the load that I could just survive because they were dominating the game,” said Murphy, in his eighth season in Chicago. “That makes a big difference. It's a really hard position to come in and be steady right away.”

Murphy, 20, at the time, admitted to feeling “overwhelmed” during his first campaign in 2014-15. Year 2 was a growing experience, and “then my third year I started to really feel like I was coming into my own. (There was) consistency in my game.

“Not like I had it, but that's where I started to feel like, 'OK, I can play.'”

As it stands, only Murphy, 24-year-old Alex Vlasic and 23-year-old Wyatt Kaiser are near locks to open next season as Blackhawks defensemen. As for everyone else on the blue line?

• Artyom Levshunov, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, could probably use at least another half year in the minors (he has 50 games this season). He's looked good in his 12 games with the Hawks, but there's no reason to rush the 19-year-old.

• Nolan Allen, who turns 22 later this month, is also on the bubble. He's shown flashes, but let him dominate in Rockford before putting the pressure of an entire season on his shoulders.

• Ethan Del Mastro, a fourth-round pick in 2021, has really impressed in 25 games. Still, he's only 22. Nothing wrong with starting again in the AHL.

• Same thing with Louis Crevier (23 in May), Kevin Korchinski (21 in June) and Rinzel (21 in June).

Now, that's a lot of young studs in Rockford, but I'm guessing Davidson dangles one or two of them — along with some draft capital — and trades for a veteran. I'd see if there's any interest in Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft. There's potential there, but it doesn't look like he's going to become a top-pairing guy. So see if someone will bite.

Then ink a solid free agent to a long-term deal. Finally, find someone in his early 30s who can still play, has something to prove and will accept any role you put him in.

As for the up-and-comers, Murphy loves that they are “competitive and coachable.” He went on to praise Kaiser and Del Mastro, saying: “They're both smart and tenacious. They want to play with the puck. … They have a maturity to their game that they can use and evolve from.”

Murphy also loves how freely Levshonov plays and that he isn't easily rattled after a mistake.

“He seems to have an even-keeled temperament, but he's also aggressive in his play,” Murphy said. “Like he steps up on a lot of guys, interrupts a lot of passes and then uses his skating to make plays and doesn't seem to think the game.

“I'm way different than that, and that's where I struggled at his age. I was wanting to be perfect and worried about making mistakes. … With experience and coaching he'll start to evolve the other details in his game.”

No matter what happens, Murphy is excited to see how everyone comes along.

“Every guy is so different on that list,” he said. “I just like the character of all of them. That's what gives potential for them to hit their peaks.”

John Dietz worked at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covering the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.