The Blackhawks are following the same strategy to jumpstart Sam Rinzel that they used to jumpstart fellow rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov earlier this fall.
Levshunov has developed at a steady rate since learning a lesson as a healthy scratch in the Hawks’ third game of the season. His performance Saturday against the Maple Leafs was probably his best in the NHL; it wowed a lot of people.
Rinzel also struggled early on, but he then found his game without major intervention. Once his play began dipping recently, though, coach Jeff Blashill decided to prescribe the Levshunov treatment and make him a healthy scratch Saturday against the Maple Leafs.
That gave Rinzel a mental reset, plus an opportunity to watch from the press box and see the game from a different angle.
It was just a one-time thing, though. It looks like he’ll be back in the lineup as the Hawks’ seventh defenseman Tuesday against the Flames.
“He has shown he’s a great defenseman in this league…not just last year but this year, where he’s played great games,” Blashill said Monday. “We just need him to get back to that level. Sometimes as a coach, you almost sit a guy to give him a chance to take a breath, regroup and then re-attack it a little bit.”
The 21-year-old Minnesota native was probably burdened with unfair, unrealistic expectations entering the season. Based on his absurdly impressive nine-game NHL tryout last April, he was billed as the Hawks’ No. 1 defenseman and a possible Calder Trophy candidate in 2025-26.
Now just 26 games into his NHL career, it shouldn’t be surprising there have been ups and downs, especially considering he hasn’t yet reached his peak weight and strength.
The Hawks had a 34.0% scoring-chance ratio during his five-on-five ice time in the first four appearances this season, then a 52.5% ratio over the next nine, then a 31.4% ratio over the last four. Individually, he has tallied one goal and two assists in those 17 games.
“I’ve just got to be better in a couple areas of the ice that I know I’m actually relatively good at,” Rinzel said. “I’ve been in these little lulls before in my life. … I know my game, especially when I’m playing well, is a confident game [where] I’m making plays.”
His ice time dipped to 11:29 in his last outing against the Devils, down from an average of 19:51 before that. Getting removed from the top power-play unit has affected his minutes; Levshunov has proven to be a more effective quarterback right now.
“From the exterior, [Rinzel] seems to do a good job — when things happen to him that are tough — of not letting it bother him too much,” Blashill said. “Some of these guys are crazy hard on themselves, whereas he’s got a pretty positive outlook and moves onto the next day.”
Specifically, the Hawks want Rinzel to be more aware of his surroundings — particularly when it comes to sensing danger — during every shift.
He seemingly got burned for at least one odd-man rush against per game on the long road trip.
The Kraken’s game-killing third goal on Nov. 3 provides one example. Frank Nazar got blamed for losing the puck in the neutral zone, but it wouldn’t have been so costly had Rinzel not inexplicably skated wide of and past the loose puck, allowing it to turn into a two-on-one rush.
Blashill said Rinzel’s thought process needs to be something like, “We’re in the offensive zone or on a rush, and someone’s cheating behind me. I have to make sure I’m the fifth guy. I have to make sure I’m behind him. I can’t hang in there, hoping that we keep the puck, because the next thing you know, it’s a breakaway the other way.”