The debate on where second overall pick Artyom Levshunov is going to play next season has come to an end with the defenseman signing his entry-level deal with the Blackhawks. This means that he is no longer eligible to return to Michigan State and will come into training camp battling for a spot on the opening-night roster. After the moves made by Kyle Davidson to open free agency, it is more likely that Levshunov will spend most, if not the entire season, with the Ice Hogs. This is a great approach to the development of who should become a huge piece of this team's core going forward. It will give Levshunov minutes playing against pro talent and also allow the Hawks organization to have a significant role in his development.
This news should come as no surprise after Kyle Davidson spoke to the media on Friday and gave more insight on the team's plans going forward with this rebuild. He wants to give the young players time to develop and not rush them into NHL situations until they are ready. Last season, a lot of players were forced into the lineup because of injury issues and just a pure lack of depth in the organization. This was a big part of the signings made on July 1st because now there are NHL-caliber players on the roster, which will allow the team to keep players in Rock Vegas. This means players like Nazar, Slaggort, Leveshunov, and even potentially Korchinski are playing big minutes. This is an approach that is a huge breath of fresh air compared to the last front office approach, which liked to rush their players, and it really messed up their careers, with Adam Boqvist being the perfect example of that.
In a time where everyone wants to see results as soon as possible and seems to have a hard time allowing things to play out correctly, I am thrilled to see the approach KD and the Hawks are taking with this rebuild. Adding a player like Connor Bedard last season could have been enough of an excuse for any GM to go out and throw the bag at players to try and make this team a cup contender, but KD having the willpower to stick to his guns should make fans realize we have the right man for the job. The thing that always sticks to me about KD is that when he first got the job, he said it wasn’t about making the Hawks good now; it was about making sure the Hawks would be good and contend for Stanley Cups for years to come. It's hard to look at what he has been building since taking over and not understand what he meant. This team has their future core in place; they have built one of the better prospect pools in the league, and despite back-to-back bottom-three finishes, players want to sign in Chicago. If you aren’t already excited for this team's future, you better start because, before you know it, the Hawks will be back on top of this mountain that is the NHL, and it's going to be a fun ride getting there.
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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