Established NHLer Calls Out Chicago Blackhawks for Making Massive Mistake in Their Rebuild
Photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times
An established NHLer called out the Chicago Blackhawks for making a massive mistake in their rebuild.
By winning the draft lottery in 2023, the Chicago Blackhawks put their hands on their franchise player Connor Bedard. If the team's general manager Kyle Davidson plays his card right, Bedard should spend his whole career in Chicago, and possibly bring back the team on the right track.
However, since then, it hasn't been easy for the Hawks. Last year, the team struggled and managed to get the 2nd overall pick at the last draft.
With that pick, they took Artyom Levshunov, who's been playing in the AHL all year, and the team is still at the bottom of the rankings.
In a recent development, the NHL defenseman Nikita Zadorov made his feelings known about drafting Levshunov instead of another player with great promise who was available at the time: Ivan Demidov.
Here's what he said:
"I haven't watched his full games - only seen the highlights. His skill set is so elite that I'm surprised that he fell to fifth place in the draft. His skating, shooting, and hockey IQ - it's really fun to watch him go."
"If I were Chicago, I would have taken him. When you have a player with such natural talent and hockey IQ, in my opinion, you grab that, and the rest will work itself out. You can teach defense, and he's shown a willingness to improve that part of his game."
"If I were Chicago, I would have taken him. When you have a player with such natural talent and hockey IQ, in my opinion, you grab that, and the rest will work itself out. You can teach defense, and he's shown a willingness to improve that part of his game."
Since being drafted 5th overall by the Montreal Canadiens, the 19-year-old Russian has been one of the best players in the KHL this season.
After 47 games, he scored 37 points, including 16 goals, notably earning multiple Player of the Week or Rookie of the Month titles.
He also produced a lot of impressive highlights, scoring many spectacular goals, such as these:
It'll be interesting to watch Demidov coming to North America and see if he can bring the same energy and talent to the Montreal Canadiens' lineup.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 26 | 97 ANSWERS Established NHLer Calls Out Chicago Blackhawks for Making Massive Mistake in Their Rebuild Do you think the Chicago Blackhawks made a mistake by drafting Artyom Levshunov instead of Ivan Demidov? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 71.1 % |
| No | 28 | 28.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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