Sam Rinzel came in hot into the NHL last season after moving on from the University of Minnesota. He scored 10 goals and 32 points in 40 games in university and then recorded five assists in his first nine games in the NHL. After making the Chicago Blackhawks out of training camp and being expected to play top-4 minutes while producing just as much, that didn't happen the way it was planned.
Instead, Rinzel played 28 games, didn't have as large of a role, and recorded a goal and eight points in 28 games before being sent to the AHL for more ice time and to develop at the professional level. He has since done that with two goals and 10 points in 18 games while playing top minutes.
But if Rinzel was supposed to be the power play defenseman and a top-4 defenseman for the Blackhawks this season, who stepped in? Louis Crevier was a completely unexpected surprise, but he didn't necessarily step into the role Rinzel was expected to play this season. He may be on the top pairing, but 20-year-old Artyom Levshunov has been the d-man to play that role.
Levshunov leads the Blackhawks' defense in points with 21 in 50 games. The next closest happens to be Crevier, so there is a bit of a shared contribution to pick up the slack on the right side. Levshunov is going to get much better and he would also likely have more points if Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar didn't miss a lot of time.
It has been a lot to ask of a 20-year-old defenseman, but Levshunov is handling the role well and still has a long way to go and grow to become the player he's going to be. Rinzel isn't out of the mix, but with how this season has gone, the feeling is that he may take a backseat and be the 2RD to Levshunov's 1RD moving forward.
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