The Chicago Blackhawks are now 0-1-1 through two games to open their season. It began with two road Eastern Conference matches. Chicago lost to the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night and dropped an overtime game 4-3 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
Now, they will return home to the United Center, where the celebration of Chicago’s centennial season will begin. They will host the Montreal Canadiens for an Original Six matchup.
Ahead of this upcoming two-game home-stand, we learned a few things about the Blackhawks that we couldn’t confirm before the games started to count.
Frank Nazar might already be a star.
So far, Frank Nazar has been Chicago's best player. He drives his own line, makes his teammates better around him, and has numbers to show for it through two games. That includes one goal and two assists.
In overtime of game two against the Boston Bruins, he had a great chance in overtime, but was stoned by Joonas Korpisalo. That was one of many plays he was a part of that would be considered scoring chances for Chicago.
Nazar isn't the type of star who only contributes offensively, either. He plays well in his own end, kills penalties, and uses his skating to impact the game in all three zones. Nobody on the team is faster at top speed or with their bursts.
Although he isn't even 82 games into his NHL career, Nazar is already showing the signs of being a star. He was given a big contract extension over the summer, which drew criticism due to its length, monetary value, and his lack of experience, but now it appears to be a bargain.
There is a long way to go for Nazar to truly realize that dream of being a star player, but he's on the right track. He had a strong finish to last season, was one of Team USA's best forwards at the World Championships, controlled play throughout camp/preseason, and now is off to this great start through two games that count. Expect him to be a difference-maker from now on.
Connor Bedard’s summer speed/skating workouts are already paying off.
Connor Bedard skipped the World Championships with Team Canada to spend the early stages of his summer working on skating. He didn't waver from that at any point leading up to training camp, either. It shows.
Through the first two games, Bedard has one goal and one assist, which is nice, but his style of play is what's really eye-popping right now. Only Frank Nazar has had higher overall speeds and speed bursts through the first two games, which is good company to be in for Bedard.
He didn't score in overtime against the Bruins on a breakaway, but he had the speed and tenacity to have a chance all alone, which is important to see.
Bedard has all of the tools to be a high-end offensive player. His shot, passing, and offensive IQ are as good as it gets for young players. Adding this element of speed and high-end skating could be what gets him to that next level of superstardom. Through two games, it looks like he's headed down that road.
Artyom Levshunov has a long way to go.
As good as it's been for Nazar and Bedard, it's mostly been the opposite for Artyom Levshunov. He collected an assist thanks to a good play to help set up an Andre Burakovsky goal, but the rest of his play has been subpar through the first two games.
This does not mean that Levshunov is going to have a bad year, but it does mean that he has a long way to go before being a top-tier defenseman in the NHL.
Since the beginning of camp, Jeff Blashill has had him stapled next to Wyatt Kaiser, who has been great in his role as a top-four defender on the team. The same can't be said for his partner.
Levshunov has had more valleys than peaks so far as the second man on the pair. Bad positioning, questionable decision-making, and too many penalties taken are what lead to these struggles. For a young defenseman in his teens, these are common problems.
Does Levshunov need time in the AHL? An argument can be made, but then who comes up? Nolan Allan, Ethan Del Mastro, and Kevin Korchinski haven't been much better, so they might as well let the guy with the highest ceiling continue to work out his issues.
By the end of this season, the hope for Levshunov is that he will have shown a lot of improvement. He had good moments last season after some seasoning, so there is already evidence that he can play well at this level. If he just works on his penalty trouble and positioning, he will be a serviceable defender at worst.
If the offensive IQ continues to take leaps, like on the Burakovsky goal against the Boston Bruins, then there will be chatter about him being a legit top-pair guy.
What will come of these storylines once the Blackhawks return home? Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard are going to continue on their upward trajectory. They will be this team's two-headed monster down the middle for the entire year, and possibly long beyond that.
As for Levshunov, he will work to change the narrative as quickly as possible. With home ice for two games, Blashill will have the opportunity to get Levshunov more favorable matchups to get his confidence back.
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