Zawaski: Van Riemsdyk Leading Blackhawks' Young Defensive Corps
By Jay Zawaski--
(CBS) When the 2015-'16 Blackhawks season opened, the main concern was the team's lack of defensive depth. Despite Chicago winning the Stanley Cup last year, it overcame the defensive worries and won the championship last year largely on the back of Duncan Keith, who would go on to win the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP.
Now, Keith is out and recovering from knee surgery, and the rest of the team has had to pick up his slack. It hasn't been nearly as bad as expected.
The trio of Viktor Svedberg, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Erik Gustafsson has performed admirably, if not at an All-Star level. All three are carrying Corsi ratings of more than 50 percent and -- metrics aside -- have looked like they belonged under most circumstances.
Van Riemsdyk has been the most impressive. As the "veteran" of the group, van Riemsdyk has taken a big step in his development. He looks to have added a step of speed and has shown poise and confidence at both ends of the ice.
Last season, van Riemsdyk's play could be described as raw. The skill set was there, but there were clear difficulties in keeping up with the pace of the NHL game. This season, van Riemsdyk has been on the ice for crucial moments, including on the penalty kill. His 1:33 of shorthanded ice time ranks third on the team, even ahead of Brent Seabrook's 1:31.
His 55.14 percent 5-on-5 Corsi-for is tops on the team, including Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Yes, he begins nearly 55 percent of his starts in the offensive zone, but that's come down from the near 60 percent rate he was carrying early in the season.
Health has always been the main concern with van Riemsdyk. Last year, he suffered two major injures (one to his knee, the other to his hand) but was able to bounce back right in time for the Cup run. If he can continue developing at this rate, it answers a huge question for the Blackhawks. If not, it gets much more complicated for general manager Stan Bowman.
After a terrifying debut, Svedberg has settled into his role nicely. With Seabrook at his side, Svedberg has overcome the early jitters and has shown some solid defensive instincts. At 6-foot-8, he could stand to gain a bit of physicality to his game. There have been several moments where he loses his man in front of the net. He doesn't need to be Chris Pronger (though that'd be nice), but he needs to not be more than the defensive equivalent of Eric Daze.
As Svedberg's confidence and knowledge of the system grows, perhaps he will gain a bit of an edge. The Hawks only need him to be defensively adequate. They have three to four other defensemen who can move the puck. If Svedberg can simply shut down the opposition, the offense can come from others.
As for Gustafsson, it's hard to glean too much at this point. He's only played three games with the Blackhawks, so any grand conclusions would be premature. However, there have been several "wow" moments, including a sniper-accurate stretch pass in his debut that sprung Artem Anisimov for a breakaway goal. The Hawks signed Gustafsson to be a puck mover and offensive contributor. If he can keep making plays like he's made, he will find himself getting more ice time. He may be the odd man out when Keith returns, but he's putting up a fight to stick.
David Rundblad should be looking over his shoulder. Gustafsson is a cheaper and potentially better option. If the Hawks have proved anything this season, it's that they won't tolerate sub-par play. Bryan Bickell was waived and demoted to Rockford. I don't think they'd hesitate to do the same with Rundblad, especially if and when Michal Rozsival returns.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville deserves credit for allowing these young players to play and learn on the job. In year's past, Svedberg and Gustafsson may have found themselves benched after some critical mistakes. This year, Quenneville understands that his only hope might lie in these kids.
Jay Zawaski is the executive producer of the Spiegel and Goff Show on 670 The Score and the Blackhawks columnist for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayZawaski670.