Answering Questions About the Blackhawks’ Blue Line & Projected Pairings

Byram is coming off a career season with 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists), a career high. “We feel 100 percent and wholeheartedly that he can be that guy and will be that guy,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. “A potential No. 1 defenseman, there aren’t many pieces around the league that are more valuable than that.”

With a heavy shooter at the back of the blueline like Byram, he has the capability to stay a top-four defenseman on this Blackhawks team.

Can Levshunov Become a No. 1 Defenseman?

A player drafted in the top-five overall comes with a heavy load of expectations. Artyom Levshunov, the second-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, has the potential to be a highly-productive offensive defenseman. Last season, however, there was a lot of inconsistency on how and where he played.

There’s a lot of speed to his playstyle, but he’s found himself being a third-pairing defenseman with occasional ice time on special teams.

“Obviously, it’s not easy. It’s the best players in this league,” Levshunov said with The Athletic’s Scott Powers (How the Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov is embracing Chicago and committing to his next step, The Athletic, July 30, 2026.) “But when you get more experience every game, of course, you feel a little bit better. You feel comfortable. You feel way better. You get used to it.”

Why Alex Vlasic May Be Chicago’s Most Underrated Player

The 6-foot-6 defenseman and 43rd-overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, Chicagoland-native Alex Vlasic has shown time and time again the kind of level he can reach on the ice. Why is his name not brought up in conversation as much as other defensemen?

His defensive-zone awareness, active stick, and transition excellence has led to him going from a “dark horse” to be a great big-time defenseman. His on-ice awareness also results in a lot of blocked shots, a stat that he has led all Blackhawks defensemen each of the last three seasons. Despite his size, he’s a very smooth skater all over the ice.

“I worked a lot more with puck-handling and trying to keep the puck on my stick in difficult situations,” Vlasic said. “When you’re getting swarmed, it’s not going to be an easy pass to make. You do have to be comfortable under those situations.”

Projected Defensive Pairings

• Bowen Byram – Alex Vlasic
• Wyatt Kaiser – Artyom Levshunov
• Ian Cole – Sam Rinzel
• Extras: Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski

Good defensive pairings are key for Chicago in front of top goalie Spencer Knight, who could be an underdog for one of the league’s top goaltenders.

With Korchinski’s future with the team still up in the air, it seems clear he won’t see as much ice time as expected, despite performing decent in the American Hockey League. Del Mastro would be the best option if during a game the Blackhawks want to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, which happened quite during last season.

With Byram’s signing, the obvious choice would be to put him on the top pairing with Vlasic. Vlasic and Byram could complement each other quite well. Kaiser and Levshunov have showed good chemistry last season, so it would be an interesting option to put the two on the same pairing.

In terms of special teams, Kaiser has shown time and time again that he should be quarterbacking one of the power-play units. Whether it’s the second unit alone or alternating with Vlasic or Levshunov, assuming Byram is the top choice for the first power-play unit, he has the potential to be a really elite top-four defenseman.