Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser made an impressive play on Saturday, intercepting an opposing forward along the boards, using his stick to gain control, and then checking the player to free the puck. This was a classic defensive maneuver that Chicago coach Luke Richardson admired, particularly because the player he was up against was the renowned Connor McDavid.
Richardson remarked, “[Wyatt] doesn’t care if it’s one of the best players in the world. He executed the play correctly, which likely frustrated McDavid. For a young defenseman, performing like that is essential to earning respect in the league, so it was great to see.”
Additionally, McDavid reacted by grabbing Kaiser, 22, by the neck and taking him to the ice, resulting in a roughing penalty, albeit a mild one. This led to a crucial power play goal for the Hawks, extending their lead.
“I just play hockey when I’m out there, regardless of who it is,” Kaiser said.
In his first two games of this season, Kaiser has shown no signs of rust, despite having missed most of training camp and the season opener due to recovery from extensive testing. He demonstrated solid performance late last season after spending nearly four months in the AHL, which helped him regain his confidence and improve his defensive skills.
“Sometimes younger defensemen can get overwhelmed, and it’s tough to find their rhythm in the NHL,” Richardson explained. “Last year, he lacked the surrounding experience to help stabilize him. He was a bit on his own. Bringing him back was the right move, and he performed excellently at the end of last season, continuing that form now.”
What sets Kaiser apart this time is his strong start to the season. He notched his first assist of 2024-25 on Philipp Kurashev’s opening goal on Saturday and has already accumulated eight blocked shots and four hits.
Richardson praised Kaiser not only for his handling of McDavid but also for a strategic play against the Oilers’ other star, Leon Draisaitl. Kaiser managed to force Draisaitl wide and then effectively handed him off to defenseman Connor Murphy behind the net.
“He may not always stop them, but he’s putting them in tough positions behind the net, which we prefer,” Richardson noted. “He’s executing numerous great plays out there.”
The Hawks see Kaiser as a potential long-term contributor to the NHL team, and he is already establishing himself on the third defensive pairing. This will pair him with fellow homegrown talent, Alex Vlasic, along with other prospects like Artyom Levshunov, Ethan Del Mastro, and Sam Rinzel moving up the ranks.
Nolan Allan is also part of this group, but he is currently a healthy scratch on the NHL roster due to Kaiser’s quicker-than-anticipated recovery. Both Allan and forward Lukas Reichel, who has yet to play this season, will remain sidelined for Tuesday’s game against the Flames.
“We’re performing well as a team right now, so there aren’t many changes,” Richardson said. “They’ll have to be patient. Eventually, we’ll need to discuss a plan for getting Allan and Reichel into games, whether here or in the AHL, but we haven’t reached that point yet.”
