Sam Rinzel’s season has not gone the way he or the Blackhawks hoped.
After entering the year as the Hawks’ No. 1 defenseman, Rinzel gradually slipped down the depth chart and struggled on the ice until the organization decided to send him down to the AHL on Monday.
A couple months don’t define a career, though, and it is very rare for defensemen in particular to become NHL regulars without some AHL developmental time. Current Hawks staples Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier and Artyom Levshunov all followed that route.
The Hawks have high hopes that Rinzel’s Rockford stint will prove beneficial long-term. Coach Jeff Blashill called it a “great opportunity” for the 21-year-old Minnesota product to get back to receiving hefty ice time, since his usage on the Hawks had slipped to an average of 13:42 per game over the last five.
“This is a really hard league if you start to struggle to gain traction,” Blashill added. “So [we told Sam], ‘Go down and get your swagger with the puck back.’
“Then continue to improve defensively. … He’s not the strongest guy, so he’s got to learn how to defend really smart with his stick — kind of [using] one hand, two hands, knocking guys off balance but not getting into physical confrontations where he’s hugging.”
Notable defensive prospects Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan are already chugging along in Rockford, meaning their ‘D’ corps are suddenly loaded with NHL-caliber talent.
Traditional lineup
Rinzel’s assignment leaves just six defensemen — the four aforementioned Rockford alumni plus veterans Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk — on the Hawks’ roster. That means they’ll return to a traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.
“Does that help some other guys get some more minutes?” Blashill said. “Does it help their own personal development? Maybe. We’ll see. We’re hoping this is a win-win for everybody. Sam can go down and improve his game…and guys like [Levshunov] can potentially play more minutes in different situations and get more set partners.”
In the Hawks’ first 29 games, they had dressed seven defensemen 26 times — an unprecedented frequency compared to the rest of the league. So this really will be something new for them.
Blashill liked how the seven-defensemen lineups allowed (among the right-handed shots) for Rinzel and Levshunov to focus on offensive situations and the power play and for Murphy and Crevier to focus on defensive situations and the penalty kill. Levshunov, Murphy and Crevier’s roles will now expand.
Up front, Sam Lafferty — a healthy scratch 18 times already — might finally get to play regularly. He has been a good sport about the situation, but it certainly hasn’t been ideal.
Notes
Veteran forward Dominic Toninato was called up Tuesday to replace Landon Slaggert, who was sent down with Rinzel. Toninato, 31, was solid in the NHL preseason and has tallied 17 points in 24 games for Rockford; he will serve as the Hawks’ spare forward.
Captain Nick Foligno, who has been out since Nov. 15 with a hand/wrist injury, skated individually before practice Tuesday. Blashill said Foligno remains “a little ways away” from returning to action.
Philosophical goalie Spencer Knight’s thoughts on the Hawks’ season so far: “[When] you go for the ride on the roller coaster, on the highs and the lows, you’re going to end up all over the place.”
