Nick Lardis didn’t need a big preseason sample to make his point. In his first exhibition game of training camp, the Blackhawks forward flashed the kind of speed and poise Chicago wants to see more often, and the early read from the team is that he already looks like a different player.
Lardis appeared in just one preseason game so far, the Blackhawks’ 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 21, but he made it count. He finished plus-2 in 15:58 of ice time and picked up two points, scoring a goal and adding an assist while skating on the second line with Anton Frondell and Tyler Bertuzzi.
The goal was the kind that shows off more than just finishing touch. In the first period, Lardis came out of the penalty box, stole the puck from defenseman Daemon Hunt, raced into the offensive zone, drew a penalty, and still scored to tie the game 1-1. It was a burst of speed that turned the shift into a highlight.
That quickness is exactly what Lardis says he wants to put on display more consistently this season. When asked at practice on Sept. 23 what he sees as his strength after the summer, he said, "I've said it before, but I want to show my speed more and more.
I feel like last year, I didn't show it as much. So I think that's a strength of my game is showing my speed, showing my skating, and being a threat on the rush and on the forecheck, too.
So yeah, I thought I did a pretty good job with that last game, and just kind of want to be more consistent at that throughout the year."
Jeff Blashill said skating with the puck came up during exit interviews, so that piece of Lardis’ game looks like it will be a major focus this season. The coach also liked what he saw after the opener.
"He's skating better, for sure. He's skating with the puck.
He's skating without the puck. He has good speed, and he can move and create some separation.
He's doing that, and he just seems a little bit stronger, and again, a little bit more confident, and so then he's put himself in positions to score. And definitely looks the most confident I've seen him since he's been with us, which is a natural kind of maturation process."
The added strength matters, too. Lardis said last offseason that he wanted to work on his "overall strength," and now he’s listed around 185 pounds after adding muscle, according to Gail Kauchak’s conversation with him.
For Lardis, confidence is tied directly to playing his game the right way. He explained it this way: "I think just playing with my strengths.
Like playing with a lot of speed down the ice, you know, getting open for pucks, calling for it, talking on the ice, not being afraid to make plays in all three zones of the ice. So I think, obviously, it's preseason.
There's a little rust, I guess, but I thought I did a pretty good job with that last game."
It’s only preseason, and there’s still a long season ahead. But with his speed showing up, his body stronger, and his confidence rising, the 21-year-old is giving the Blackhawks plenty to like early.
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