LAS VEGAS — There’s so much to like about defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who will likely be one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ two picks in Friday night’s NHL draft. He is tall. It has length. He skates well. He is a gifted playmaker. He has good hands and good sense. He has a strong personality that will play well in the locker room and in Chicago. He’s a known player who has played against known opponents, having spent last season at Michigan State, often under the watchful eye of Blackhawks management.
Levshunov is a safe choice. A smart choice. A good choice.
There are so many things to wonder about winger Ivan Demidov, who likely won’t become a member of the Blackhawks on Friday night. He’s incredibly talented, but maybe a little too small. His puck skills are tantalizing on video, but most scouts and executives have never seen him in person. A knee injury kept him out of the squad. There is no clear consensus on how to translate a player’s performance in the MHL – Russia’s second division league – into NHL potential. And there’s always the Russian factor, the possibility that he won’t come to North America as quickly as other hopefuls.
Demidov is a risky choice, but very rewarding.
Yeah, well, safety is death in the NHL. And Demidov is the RIGHT take.
Connor Bédard needs help. Oh, Lord Stanley, does he need help. He needs help now, he needs help in a year, he needs help for the next 15 years. He needs a running buddy, a Kane for his Toews, a Panarin for his Kane, a Draisaitl for his McDavid, a Tkachuk for his Barkov, a Rantanen for his MacKinnon. He needs a true top-tier winger with true top-tier talent, someone to track him and push him, someone with the vision and skills to find him and set up that big shot, someone with the hands to manage and bury these impossible saucer passes.
The Blackhawks have a lot of good forwards in the NHL and in the system – Lukas Reichel, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and a slew of promising next-level prospects such as Ryan Greene, Colton Dach, Nick Landis and Roman Kantserov. All of them could become useful NHL players, with some of them being very productive. None of them project to be great Demidov does it. Or at least he could. And he’s the player the Blackhawks need. This is the player Bedard needs – someone who will bring out the best in him.
Maybe you’ll find this player via trade, but it’s unlikely the Blackhawks will land Mitch Marner anytime soon. Maybe you find that player via free agency, and one of the most popular speculations meandering through Las Vegas this week is that the Blackhawks have their eye on Minnesota’s spectacular winger Kirill Kaprizov, whose contract is expiring in two years. But Kaprizov will be 29 in two years – this possible pipe dream is Marian Hossa’s play, the final play, not Kane’s play, the wonder twin of his entire career.
You’re more likely to find that player at the draft. And if general manager Kyle Davidson follows through on his promises that the Blackhawks will no longer be bottom-of-the-draft players, that they’ll look to be much more competitive in the coming seasons, this may be their last and best chance to pick in the top two or three, to select a truly elite winger to pair with Bedard.
And that’s something they shouldn’t let slide.
Let me preempt the inevitable (and understandable) criticism of this transformation into Meatballdom by freely admitting that I’ve seen very little of either player — a few Michigan State games during the playoffs, a few video clips of Demidov. I’m not a prospect expert, and I don’t claim to be one. But being a Chicago-based hockey writer in Las Vegas this week is like having a flashing red sign over your head saying, “Ask me about the No. 2 pick!” You can’t roll a pair of dice without running into a prospect writer, an amateur scout, an assistant general manager. And since everyone knows the San Jose Sharks are drafting Macklin Celebrini with the first pick, the whole intrigue begins with the Blackhawks at No. 2.
In short, my job is to talk to people smarter than me, and then use their knowledge to draw my own conclusions. love Levshunov. He’ll play in the NHL. He’ll be a good NHL player. He might even become a true No. 1 defenseman in the NHL, an invaluable piece of the championship puzzle. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking Levshunov. Davidson said Thursday that the team has made its choice, and almost everyone in the hockey world assumes it’ll be Levshunov. It’ll be a good choice. A good choice.
Scouting reports on Demidov are a bit more varied. Some, like AthleticismThis is Corey Pronman, who loves her very much but has some slight concerns. Some, like The AthleticThat’s Scott Wheeler, who thinks he’s the second-best prospect in the draft. But here’s what you notice when you talk to draft officials around the hockey world: Those who like Demidov, love Demidov. They see the brilliance. They see skills and instincts that you just can’t teach. They see more than 40 goals a year. They see Nikita Kucherov. There is an enthusiasm, a passion that Levshunov just doesn’t seem to rouse.
GO FURTHER
Ivan Demidov is the second-best prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft
It’s worth every risk you could take with Demidov. It’s worth the No. 2 pick. Because that’s what the Blackhawks need.
While I readily admit that you can never have enough good defensemen, the Blackhawks already have a host of promising players ready to play in the NHL on the blue line. Chicago traded Alex DeBrincat for the 7th pick two years ago and took Kevin Korchinski, who held his own in the NHL at 19 and can still become the No. 1 pick the Blackhawks envisioned. The sudden rise of Alex Vlasic was a gift from the hockey gods, giving the Blackhawks another top defenseman. Seth Jones, whether or not you think he’s overpaid, is still a very good player, a worthy top 4 defender for years to come. Wyatt Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan are all knocking at the door. Another 2022 first-round pick, puck-moving player Sam Rinzel, is on the way. Could Levshunov rise to the top of this list? Highly possible. But the need is much greater up front. And the first two choices (hopefully) don’t come up very often.
Demidov hopes to come to North America before the 2025-26 season. And any concerns about the so-called Russian factor should have been put to rest this month, anyway, with the revelation that Matvei Michkov will be headed to Philadelphia in the fall, two years ahead of schedule. The best players want to play in the best league, and ultimately, nothing will stop them.
Demidov will be in the NHL in 2025-26. He should do it in a Blackhawks uniform. He should do it skating alongside Bedard. And he should do it over the next decade and more. The Blackhawks need goals. The Blackhawks need stars. The Blackhawks need bold picks. The Blackhawks need to do the right thing by Bedard. The Blackhawks need Demidov.
Seize the opportunity. Seize the opportunity. Take the wingman.
(Top photo of Ivan Demidov: Ian Maule/NHLI via Getty Images)