Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov out indefinitely with hand fracture
Tough news for a youngster in the Windy City.
When speaking to the media on Sunday, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill revealed that defenseman Artyom Levshunov suffered a fracture to his left hand last Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Blashill noted that the rookie will undergo imaging, but, at the moment, there’s no timeline for the rookie’s return.
Jeff Blashill said that Artyom Levshunov suffered a small fracture in his left hand in the Islanders game, and will get some tests done to determine the timeline that he’ll return
Levshunov has played the last two games with the ailment, but it hardly deterred his playing time. In a back-to-back last Thursday and Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers, the Belarusian still averaged close to 22:30 of ice time. However, he did register a combined plus/minus of -5 over the losses, as the Blackhawks were beaten up by Metropolitan Division foes by a combined score of 11-2.
It has been quite the learning curve for Levshunov, whom the Hawks took second overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. While he has a lot of potential, especially on the offensive side of the puck, it’s clear he has some learning to do in order to be a true all-around defender in this league. In 68 games this year, the 20-year-old has scored two goals and 22 assists for 24 points, with his last point coming as a helper against the Minnesota Wild on St. Patrick’s Day.
The former Michigan State Spartan also has a -41 rating while averaging 19:35 of ice time. In 86 career games with Chicago, Levshunov has two goals and 28 assists for 30 points. He’s in the second season of his three-year, entry-level contract he signed shortly after he was drafted.
The Blackhawks (27-33-13) are last in the Central Division and 15th in the Western Conference, sitting 10 points back of the last Wild Card spot in the West. Chicago has the second-best odds to win the NHL Draft Lottery, trailing only the Vancouver Canucks.