Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov Suffers Hand Fracture

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov sustained a fracture in his left hand last Tuesday against the Islanders and played through it in the two games since, reported by Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Requiring further evaluation, he’s now set to depart the lineup starting tonight against New Jersey. Kevin Korchinski will fill in after he was recalled this morning. 

With just nine games left on the schedule, it’s unclear how long Levshunov could be out, and if his season has come to an end. With no drop in usage since the injury, it’s unexpected news, however the last few games playing unhealthy haven’t necessarily been kind to the youngster who has been a -5 since the Islanders contest. 

It has been a tough campaign for the 2024 second overall pick. Still at just 20-years-old, he has been thrown into the fire as a top defender, currently ranking third on the team in ice time at 19:35 a night. The Blackhawks have showcased progression this season, but the results still aren’t pretty. Levshunov’s -41 ranks dead last in the league, with a sub-par 45% corsi for at five-on-five. 

In more encouraging news, Levshunov has posted 24 points, his offensive ability on display as he gels with the team’s skilled young core. There have been bright spots in his heavy usage, mostly on the power play, amidst the growing pains. 

The 6’2” righty absolutely has top pairing upside, and facing a difficult learning curve is common for such defensive prospects. Doing so on a bottom-ranked team doesn’t do any favors, either. However, it may be time for Chicago to reevaluate their development plans for Levshunov, giving him a bit more shelter. 

Holding the most cap space in the entire league, the Blackhawks would benefit from adding an experienced top four-capable defenseman this summer to help out their extremely young blueline. Even if done so in another cap-casualty type trade which netted them more assets, as opposed to an aggressive big free agency ticket, it would be similar to how the additions of 31-year-olds Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen have paid dividends up front. 

Regardless, even if his 2025-26 has come to an untimely end, it may be best to simply take the time to get healthy. Looking ahead to a fresh start next fall and building off his 86 games of learning so far, Chicago doesn’t have much at stake in April to rush Levshunov back for.