The Chicago Blackhawks have moved Andre Burakovsky to the top power play unit. This might be just what they needed.
The Chicago Blackhawks made a change to their top power play unit on Monday during practice. Andre Burakovsky, who Chicago acquired in a summertime trade with the Seattle Kraken, is now going to be on the top unit.
He will swap with Teuvo Teravainen, who has mostly been on the top unit since coming back to the Blackhawks in 2024-25. This switch might be just what the doctor ordered for Chicago’s struggling power play, which is 26th in the NHL with a 15.6 percent conversion rate.
On the top unit, Burakovsky joins Nick Foligno, Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Sam Rinzel. There is a lot of skill there. When they are set up, Burakovsky and Bedard will be on the half-walls, Rinzel will be at the point, Frank Nazar is in the bumper position, and Nick Foligno is the net front guy.
Adding Burakovsky to this group will help them with zone entries. Getting set up has been part of the problem, and gaining the zone with possession is something they must improve on. Burakovsky has shown the ability to do that with regularity this season and in his career.
"I think Burakovsky has been very good on the power play," head coach Jeff Blashill said. "Maybe it sparks us a little bit if we decide to go with it."
Blashill acknowledged that it isn't a guarantee that they go this route in the game against the Senators, but it sure seems like they are going to give it a try based on how they practiced. At this point, they have nothing to lose with the way they've been on the man-advantage.
When Tyler Bertuzzi gets back into the lineup (upper body injury), he will take back his net front spot. That, combined with Burakovsky’s addition, should help this group kick it into a gear that helps them score more goals than they have so far.
On the second unit, Teuvo Teravainen will join Colton Dach, Ryan Greene, Ryan Donato, and Artyom Levshunov. Adding a high-end playmaker like Teravainen may make that group more dangerous as well. In addition to the hockey logic behind it all, a change of scenery could lead to positive results for everyone.
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