Artyom Levshunov enters this season with plenty to sort out, and the Blackhawks are counting on real progress.
The expectations are baked in already. Drafted second overall in a year that included Ivan Demidov, Levshunov comes into the league carrying the kind of pressure that follows a premium pick.
Chicago has seen flashes of what he can do at the NHL level, but the inconsistency is still there, and the defensive side of his game is the part that demands the most attention. That development matters even more with Sam Rinzel expected to be in the lineup full-time next season.
The biggest concern is awareness. Levshunov has too often looked a step behind the play, and that has led to high-danger chances that never should have materialized.
His mistakes with positioning and stick placement have shown up more than once, but the bigger issue is how often he seems caught out of sync. At the same time, he is still young - he turns 21 in October - so there is room for growth.
It is also too early to stamp any final verdict on him. The Blackhawks clearly believe in the player, and this is not the kind of situation that should be treated as a full-blown alarm unless the improvement never comes. Defensemen of his profile usually are not truly judged until they are closer to 24 or 25, and Levshunov was brought in to become a right-side anchor, a top-pairing defenseman who can grow into the kind of impact player Chicago is building around alongside Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic, and Frank Nazar.
Offensively, the upside is obvious. Levshunov can move the puck, he can skate, and he has the tools to run the first power-play unit.
On his best nights, he looks like a defender who can influence the game at both ends. But like so many young players, the question is whether he can bring that level more consistently.
That is where the next step has to come. Levshunov’s real test is in his own zone: how dependable he is on the backcheck, whether he can read and close passing lanes naturally, how well he can clear bodies from the crease without getting in Spencer Knight’s way, and how he handles pressure when opponents are coming hard on the forecheck.
Just as important, can he stay locked in after a mistake? That is the area that will tell the story.
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What stands out most is how high the bar has been for Chicagos modern leaders, especially Jonathan Toews, who became the youngest captain in team history at 20 and helped define an era built on winning. His long run at the top of the room helped deliver three Stanley Cup titles, which is why any new appointment will be measured against more than just hockey sense. The Blackhawks are not simply choosing a next captain. They are choosing the next link in a lineage that has never been easy to match. [Read more 🡒]