The Chicago Blackhawks’ defense is still finding its rhythm.
The group is allowing an average of four goals per game thus far in 2026-27, the fourth-most in the NHL, just ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames.
Bowen Byram and Ian Cole, the new additions on the blue line, were brought in to help goaltender Spencer Knight. As of Monday, Knight leads the NHL with 223 shots against and 198 saves in seven games started.
The Hawks need to be better, but the defensemen corps are adjusting to new areas in the lineup. Alex Vlasic was formerly the team’s top defenseman, but now Byram has taken that role.
The results aren’t great right now: Byram has just one assist, no goals at even strength or on the power play — an area that general manager Kyle Davidson hoped he’d improve — and eight giveaways in six games played.
Coach Jeff Blashill still sees positives in Byram’s play, despite the stats.
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“When I watch him play, I know he’s a really, really good player — I think he’s defended well, I think he’s created stuff offensively,” Blashill said of Byram on Thursday. “I can’t be more pleased with him as a competitor, a guy in the locker room, and a player on the ice.”
The 25-year-old defenseman has been out for two games with an upper-body injury after taking a puck to the face against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In response, Vlasic has skated on the top pair with Ian Cole, but has mostly been on the left side of the second pair when Byram is in the lineup.
Either way, Vlasic’s role as a Hawks blueliner hasn’t drastically changed, and it’s not something that’s on his mind.
“For me, I think my role is something that I don’t necessarily try to focus on too much,” Vlasic, 25, told the Tribune. “I’m just going out there and trying to play the best whatever makes me the best version of myself as a hockey player, and I think a lot of that is defense first.”
He has two assists, 11 blocked shots, 15 shot attempts (five on goal) and 15 giveaways while averaging about 20 minutes of ice time in nine games. He’s only missed one game since the 2024-25 season.
Vlasic has been a dependable figure for the Hawks, but his style of play has looked a little different in 2026-27. He’s never been a shoot-first blueliner, but he’s on pace to have 140 shot attempts this season, which would be the fewest in four full seasons.
“I’ve actually noticed that too, I think it’s kind of just by chance, to be honest with you,” Vlasic said. “I feel like for whatever reason, I haven’t gotten as many looks from up top necessarily, and some of the ones that I do, I think I’m trying to skate it more than I was before.
“I did notice that, I was thinking to myself because I got that one shot (on Saturday), and I was like, ‘I don’t know the last time I had a shot on net’. It’s not something that I’m trying to do intentionally, I want to become more of a shooter and put myself in those situations.”
His shooting pace can change dramatically, as Blashill pointed out Monday, but the coach does have a vision for Vlasic’s play in the top six.
“I want him to make the right play — sometimes the right play’s a shot, sometimes the right play is a pass,” Blashill said. “I think as a team, we have to make sure we’re attacking the net more and have to get more shots in general. I don’t want him going out thinking the only thought process is shot.”
Should Vlasic opt to focus on defense so the Hawks can have a mix of blueliners? Byram, when he returns, and Artyom Levshunov can develop plays and be the scoring figures, while Vlasic could mirror Cole’s calm, stop-the-puck style.
“What I like about him is he doesn’t necessarily take anything too seriously or literally on the ice,” Vlasic said of 37-year-old Cole, who will play his 1,000th game on Friday. “It’s such a long season — every game there are so many shifts,” and Cole is good at not dwelling on mistakes, Vlasic said.
“He’s shown me how to move on from bad plays, bad mistakes, and keep moving forward. He’s a pretty positive guy, so it’s been fun to see his mindset and what’s got him so far and so successful.”
Vlasic sees the perks of having blue line variety, especially for contending teams. The Hawks have seen six 2025-26 playoff teams so far this season in Vegas, Utah, Buffalo, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Dallas.
“If you look at some of the best teams that have won the cup, I feel like they have a good mix on the back end of some shutdown guys, some puck-moving guys, and those players that can play offensively,” Vlasic said. “That’s something that I’m striving for, (being) a guy who can be hard to play against defensively, but also be a threat offensively.”
The gauntlet of contenders has left the Hawks at 3-6-0 to begin 2026-27. It’s not getting any easier — they’ll see Montreal, Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay and more in the next three weeks. Through the losses, Vlasic has seen a glass-half-full approach from his team.
“A day after a bad loss, practice is sometimes a little bit daunting, you got some bad video to be shown, and maybe guys are worried on the ice,” Vlasic said. “But I think for us this year, it seems like we show up the next day and we’re out there having fun, and I think that’s so important to be a good hockey team.”