Chicago Blackhawks Training Camp Position Battles: Bottom-Pair Defense

The Chicago Blackhawks are less than a month away from the start of the regular season (October 13th), when they’ll take on the Avalanche in Denver, Colorado. But with training camp set to begin on Thursday, we’re keeping an eye on a number of key position battles that have yet to be decided.

Previous: Top-line center, Back-up Goalie

Today we are looking at the bottom of the Blackhawks’ defensive rotation.

With the “new-look” defensive rotation in Chicago, there’s not much room for speculation at the top of the group. Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, Jake McCabe, and Calvin de Haan are the guys that will lead the unit throughout the 2021-22 season. You have a top-minutes guy like Jones, who could end up playing in all situations defensively for Chicago, and a trio of defensive-minded blue-liners that will factor into the penalty-kill and will all likely play between 18-20+ minutes a night. But it is the next level of defensemen in the group where things open up to competition for Chicago.

Who will make up the bottom-pairing at the NHL level and who will be pushing for NHL ice-time behind them?

Outside of the top-four defensemen in the group, I believe the conversation for the bottom-pairing starts with Wyatt Kalynuk. He came to the Blackhawks last summer as an unsigned draft pick from the Philadelphia Flyers organization. He made his professional debuts in the AHL and NHL last season, skating in eight games with the Rockford IceHogs and 21 games with the Blackhawks.

Kalynuk tallied four goals and nine points in those 21 NHL games, and found himself playing on the second powerplay unit for the Blackhawks late last season. He moves the puck well, has an ability to jump into the offensive attack, and, as a rookie last season, did not look out of place at the NHL level. And yes, I am a bit biased to get another Wisconsin Badger into the lineup, but Kalynuk backs it up with his play.

Another acquisition the Blackhawks made last season that ended up making a bigger impact than some might have predicted was getting Riley Stillman from the Florida Panthers. Following his short-stint in Chicago, where he skated in just 13 games with the Blackhawks, Stillman was given a three-year contract extension to stay in Chicago.

Stillman looks to be penciled into the final defenseman slot coming into training camp after the trade of Nikita Zadorov. Stillman plays that similar styler to what Zadorov did, play big and hit a lot of people. But unlike Zadorov, Stillman showed a bit more mobility with and without the puck and he ended up being much cheaper in the long-run. But he’s not a necessary lock as the No. 6 defenseman on the Blackhawks depth chart.

Also in the mix is recently acquired younger brother of Seth Jones, Caleb Jones. Coming from the Oilers in the Duncan Keith trade, Caleb comes to the Blackhawks with an opportunity to break into the NHL roster and hold a position down more than he would have had in Edmonton. In parts of four professional seasons with the Oilers organization, Jones has skated in 93 NHL games and 125 AHL games. So he has plenty of experience at 24-years-old, plus, his two-way style of play could allow him to be used in many different situations on the ice in a limited role for Chicago.

If Kalynuk, Stillman, and Caleb Jones fall into the No. 5, 6, and 7 defensemen on the NHL roster, there won’t be too much space between them and the top players that will then end up with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL. Last year we saw three defensemen bounce between the AHL and NHL, all with seemingly bright futures at the NHL level someday soon. Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin, and Alec Regula will more than likely become the top three defensemen in the AHL for the IceHogs this season and probably will be the first players looked at for call-ups to the Blackhawks if/when necessary.

Mitchell started last year strong in his rookie season with Chicago, but began to hit a wall mid-way through the year and found himself playing in Rockford. Beaudin was back and forth, but in his time with the Blackhawks, showed that he could hang in the NHL in a bottom-pairing role. As for Regula, he made his AHL and NHL debuts last season and started to show a bit of what made him an intriguing prospect to grab from the Detroit Red Wings in the Brendan Perlini trade a few seasons back. His size and mobility are his biggest assets, but his offensive game has started to come around over the last year.

Regula had a lot of praise coming from IceHogs head coach Derek King following the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase.

Of the three, Beaudin likely has the highest potential on the offensive side of the ice as a blue-liner and Regula might have the most well-rounded game with a two-way style and the size that the Blackhawks seem to now be prioritizing on the back-end. One other name to keep an eye on in training camp that might be a dark-horse to push for NHL ice-time this year: Jakub Galvas.

Chicago is hoping that their revamped blue-line can help ease the load on their goaltenders this season and make their jobs easier, even with having the 2021 Vezina Trophy-winning Marc-André Fleury in the fold now. The Blackhawks have finished the past three seasons giving up either the most or the second-most shots per game in the NHL, and have finished in the bottom-ten of the league for the past seven seasons. Gone are the days where the Blackhawks could ride on the backs of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Niklas Hjalmarsson all the way to a Stanley Cup. While the top-four group will have a more defensive-minded feel to it than in recent seasons, the bottom-pairing will need to be able to hold up their end of the deal in the rotation.

written by

Mario Tirabassi is a writer for Bleacher Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @Mario_Tirabassi.

more blackhawks news

Blackhawks 0, Senators 2 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

Remember when the Blackhawks went to California for three games and started each game like they had 45 minutes of hockey to start caring? And dug a deep hole in each game that they were only able to escape from...

Blackhawks at Senators – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Don't look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks have won six of their last ten games. They still sit in second for the NHL draft lottery, but they're trending in the right direction; they're .500 in the month of March with...

These 3 Blackhawks Veterans Are Having Terrific Seasons

Entering Thursday night's action, the Chicago Blackhawks have the second-worst point percentage in the NHL -- even while they're 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. And they own the second-worst goal differential in the league (minus-76). It's been a long,...

28 on 28: Steve Larmer’s Rookie Season Remains the Blackhawks’ Standard

We're ten games away from the end of the 2023-24 regular season, and Connor Bedard continues to put up remarkable numbers for at age 18 in his first professional season. He will likely join Steve Larmer on the list of...

The Greatest Sports Watching Day of the Year, Next Year’s TV, an IceHogs Stunner, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Congratulations, sports fans! Today, March 28, 2024 is the greatest sports viewing day of the calendar year. Hands down, lock it up, no competition. It's Opening Day in MLB and Sweet 16 day one in the NCAA men's basketball tournament....

NHL Notes: Penguins Paradox, Torts Apologizes, Doan’s Dazzling Debut, Rangers Punch Ticket, More

It's a mid-week edition of NHL Notes and we have plenty to cover around the league. The Penguins find themselves with a tricky decision as their season draws to a close. John Tortorella dished out an apology to one of...

We Need to Talk About Jason Dickinson As a Selke Trophy Candidate — Again

Back in early February as the Blackhawks wrapped their pre-All-Star Game schedule, I wrote about Jason Dickinson's case for Selke Trophy votes. We're now ten games away from the end of Chicago's regular season, and with Dickinson reaching 20 goals...

Slaggert’s Big Night, Bedard’s Tape, Felcman to Rockford, Anderson, Tinordi, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

I'm gonna continue to smile, just like Landon Slaggert, because of his performance in last night's Blackhawks win. The former Notre Dame captain had his parents and young brother in the stands and he had one helluva game last night....

Blackhawks 3, Flames 1 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways

The message Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was trying to get across with Monday's bag skate clearly landed. The start Chicago had on Tuesday night was a polar opposite of what they showed in the three games in California. They...

Blackhawks vs Flames – Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

After a disappointing road trip that saw the Blackhawks get smoked for 7 of 9 periods, the team got a bag skate on Monday to think about their effort. They'll get back on the ice tonight in front of a...

Latest News

Washington State vs. Illinois Women’s Basketball: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

Two hot teams meet when the Washington State Cougars (21-14) host the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-15) on April 1, 2024. The Cougars will put their three-game win streak on the line against the Fighting Illini, who have won three straight.On...

Villanova vs. Penn State Women’s Basketball: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Villanova Wildcats (21-12) will try to extend a three-game winning streak when they host the Penn State Lady Lions (22-12) on April 1, 2024. The Lady Lions have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Villanova...

Brewers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Milwaukee Brewers are moneyline favorites (-110) to begin their season with a road win over the New York Mets on Friday at 1:40 PM ET, live on SNY.Freddy Peralta takes the mound for Milwaukee while Jose Quintana is New...

Braves vs. Phillies Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) host the Atlanta Braves (0-0) in an Opening Day game at 3:05 PM ET on Friday.The Braves will look to Spencer Strider against the Phillies and Zack Wheeler.Braves vs. Phillies Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...

Suns vs. Thunder Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The matchup's point total is...

Brewers vs. Mets Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) begin their 2024 season with a road matchup against the New York Mets (0-0) on Friday, with first pitch at 1:40 PM ET.The Brewers will give the nod to Freddy Peralta versus the Mets and Jose...

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

Bulls vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) hit the court against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) as 5.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under set at 214.5 points.Before you place an informed wager...

more blackhawks news