Levshunov's growth boosts Blackhawks' defense

In a recent assessment of the Chicago Blackhawks' performance, head coach Jeff Blashill expressed his satisfaction with Artyom Levshunov's defensive improvements, particularly following a 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights.

Blashill noted Levshunov played arguably his best game of the year, highlighting his defensive and physical play. Following the Olympic break, Levshunov has regained Blashill's trust, moving up to the top defensive pairing alongside Alex Vlasic.

Despite the Hawks being outscored 10-3 during Levshunov's five-on-five ice time, many of those goals were not attributed to him. His positioning and puck management have improved significantly. Levshunov himself acknowledged feeling better about his game, emphasizing the importance of playing effective defense while also taking on penalty-killing duties since Connor Murphy's injury.

Blashill compared Levshunov's potential to that of Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider, indicating that while Levshunov has offensive upside, it should not come at the cost of his defensive responsibilities.

Levshunov expressed a desire to not only reach Seider's level but to exceed it, focusing on continuous improvement and hard work. Overall, the Blackhawks' defensive metrics have ranked 12th in the NHL since the Olympics, with Levshunov performing slightly better than the team average in expected goals against per 60 minutes.