Blackhawks want more physicality, nastiness from their friendly group of defensemen

The Blackhawks‘ cast of young defensemen are approachable, friendly guys. Coach Jeff Blashill thinks they might be a little too friendly, in fact.

Alex Vlasic is a clear extrovert with a sense of humor and a natural ability to bring people together. Louis Crevier has a humble, almost sheepish charm that accompanies his underdog career arc. Wyatt Kaiser has fascinating interests beyond hockey and has really opened up this year.

Few Hawks make their teammates laugh more than Artyom Levshunov, even if it’s sometimes unintentional due to the language barrier. When Ethan Del Mastro and Sam Rinzel are up in the NHL, their personalities also fit in well. And veterans Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk are both wise influences.

There’s not a jerk in the group, and Blashill certainly isn’t asking any of them to be less professional or gentlemanly off the ice. On the ice, though, he would like them to play with more of an edge.

“There’s another level of physicality that our whole ‘D’ corps needs to get to,” Blashill said Tuesday. “[I want to see] those little Chris Chelios-[style] cross-checks in the hips and the ribs and things like that. That makes it harder on opponents to get to our net and takes their will away to be hard in our area, where all the goals are scored.

“None of them are necessarily nasty in their human makeup to begin with. [It’s] not that they can’t do it, but we’re working to draw some of that out of them.”

There is a generational difference involved. It’s telling that Blashill’s quintessential example of “nasty” defenseman, Chelios, played decades ago. Blashill conceded those types are rarer in this era.

“The world is probably not quite as hard as it [was],” Blashill said. “Over every generation, it’s probably gotten a little bit softer, in a sense. You used to grow up fighting. You know what I mean? You don’t see that [now]. That’s just a natural thing.”

Nonetheless, Blashill’s feedback carries weight and makes sense. It’s especially directed at Vlasic, given his role as the Hawks’ top defensive defenseman who usually goes up against opponents’ top lines.

Despite his huge 6-6 frame, Vlasic has never been a particularly physical player, instead using his size to his advantage more in terms of his long reach. Last season, Vlasic focused on trying to rely on his stick less and “play the body first,” but it’s not something he has conquered yet.

The fact Vlasic has been whistled for only two minor penalties all season isn’t entirely a good thing in Blashill’s perspective. On the other hand, the Hawks have unquestionably committed too many penalties as a team.

Blashill has talked about wanting to cut down on “preventable” penalties (such as too many men, tripping and holding) while gladly accepting enforcement-related penalties (such as roughing and cross-checking), but that is a narrow line to skate.

Blashill did give Crevier credit for being more physical — and more confident — than he was a year ago, but Crevier could still probably do more with his towering 6-8 frame, too.

Entering Tuesday, the Hawks ranked 27th in the NHL in hits per minute, even with forward Colton Dach and his 133 hits inflating the total. No other Hawk had been credited with more than 56.

Even more important than crushing hits, though, are subtle bumps, knocks and jabs that protect the crease.

The defensive system Blashill implemented this season is predicated on Hawks defensemen boxing out diligently — rather than fronting and trying to block every shot — and they haven’t boxed out as well in December as they did in October and November.

“Some guys just naturally have that [edge] where, if you got in a fight, they would probably bite your fingers off,” Blashill said. “Some guys aren’t [like that]. We’ve got to continue to draw that competitiveness out of each guy.”