Blackhawks Observations: How much patience will Chicago have with Lukas Reichel?

MILWAUKEE – Lukas Reichel should have shined in the Blackhawks' final preseason game.

With the Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues holding back most of their NHL players and not taking much risk before the start of the regular season, Reichel was one of the more experienced players to take the ice at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Additionally, Reichel was placed on a line alongside Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. Reichel would have a chance to play with experienced players, play on the top power play and get plenty of ice time. He was set up for success.

But then he didn't.

Reichel was better than what he showed in his previous preseason games and had his moments. He was more aggressive when forechecking and backchecking. He had the puck in dangerous positions a few times. But Reichel still left the Blackhawks wanting more, wanting him to be more confident, egotistical and more like the player they envisioned him to be.

“I obviously thought the same thing as everyone else tonight, ran well and got some runs in,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said after his team's 6-2 win. “There was a rush where he had a really good game and had a shot on net that went just wide in the second period. There was one not long after that where I think he wanted to make a change and decided in his head that he was going to pass it, but I thought the option was to shoot it and he tried to push something through and it just didn't get through. … I think we need to get them used to the fact that it's not about being selfish, like I said, but it's about being a team player. You're making the right play. I’d like to see him go a step further.”

Part of the problem is that the hurdle Reichel must overcome has changed. He was thought to be on the verge of becoming a legitimate top-six forward at the start of last season, a key part of the Blackhawks' rebuild. Instead, he ended up back in the AHL. The Blackhawks hoped another long offseason would help him regain his confidence, develop physically and pick up where he left off at the end of the 2022-23 season.

That didn't happen. If anything, his preseason has raised even more doubts about him. When Richardson unveiled his projected lineup for the season opener in Friday's preseason game, Reichel was left out and looked like a scratch. Of course, that lineup was beaten 6-1 by the Minnesota Wild, and it's hard to say the Blackhawks would have done worse with Reichel. Still, it was a sign of what the Blackhawks thought of Reichel's training camp.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson obviously didn't write off Reichel. He wouldn't have given Reichel a two-year extension if he didn't think Reichel still had a chance to change his game. But how much patience does Davidson have with Reichel? What efforts will the Blackhawks make this season to revive Reichel?

In addition to Bedard, the 22-year-old Reichel is the only forward under 23 who will be on the Blackhawks' NHL roster. While a large portion of the roster is made up of players who are expected to retire in a few years, Reichel is one of the few who could be part of the future if he manages to get back on track. But can he and what will it take? Letting him sit won't fix the problem. Playing him on the fourth line won't fix the problem. But then again, based on how he looked two seasons ago, there's a limit to how much you can give him. There will certainly be a conversation between Davidson and Richardson in the next few days.

Richardson described Reichel's camp on Saturday as up and down. Richardson was positive about Reichel's performance on Saturday, but was it enough to earn him a spot in Tuesday's season opener? Richardson seemed to still be weighing it up.

“I like some of his outbursts tonight,” Richardson said. “I like the one-rush. On the second rush I would really like him to shoot that. I think if he gets two shots off those two rushes with his shot, he'll have more chances to score or get a rebound assist or get more time in the O-zone instead of turning around and chasing back. I liked his determination on his backcheck today and his toughness in bat fights. So tonight was his best performance. We may not be happy with his entire camp and not entirely convinced, but I think tonight was his best performance. I think that’s what we asked him to do, so we have to be happy with that and we’ll see where that takes us on Monday and Tuesday.”

exactly right 🎯 pic.twitter.com/YH1OnJlczH

—Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 6, 2024

Fights are not encouraged by Bedard

Richardson would prefer if Bedard didn't get into more fights, like at the end of Saturday's game when he clashed with the Blues' Zachary Bolduc as they both skated down the ice. Both players were called for roughing.

“I think Connor should stay out of things like that if he could,” Richardson said. “But I like the thought process and his mentality that he's not going to take anything away from anyone out there and that he's going to stay here and he's going to assert himself out there. But at the same time, doing things like this, men fall and get run over, someone breaks their shoulder, hurts their hand, or twists their ankle. We can't afford that, especially not with a guy like that. You know, you're just teaching him how to deal with these emotions and stay out of it. I think he's obviously more important on the ice than off the ice. That’s probably never a good compromise for us.”

Bedard, of course, downplayed it. He liked hearing that Kevin Korchinski was out there defending him and fighting too.

“It's hockey, it's a physical sport and it's good to see for me and for our whole team, obviously I got into it and then our whole team jumps into it,” Bedard said. “That's the brotherhood you need, and it's cool to see Korch kind of let them down. Well, I haven't seen it, but people have told me so I'll check it out. … He told me he was pretty proud of it, so that’s good.”

Was anyone looking for a Frank Nazar goal? pic.twitter.com/kBfS5DaPxy

—Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 6, 2024

Back to the IceHogs?

Frank Nazar and Korchinski will likely return to the Rockford IceHogs, but Richardson liked what he saw from them.

Of Korchinski, Richardson said: “I liked him. I liked his gaps and he really surfed and he's not going to be the most physical guy. (Nolan) Allan is more of a physical guy, Phillys (Isaak Phillips) is more of a physical guy. He's more likely to get to the target and get to the puck quickly. I thought he had some really good turnovers for us right at our blue line, especially early in the game, in the first two periods. And then I saw him make a great escape in the second period when he stole the puck from behind our net.

“And I thought he was going to pop up, and that was the case throughout the whole forecheck, and he went back to his forehand, went around the net, took five steps, made a good first pass and they were out of the zone. “And that’s exactly what a great offensive defender does. They get out of trouble, take open ice and make a good first pass.”

Regarding Nazar, Richardson said: “Yes, he only slipped a little once – slipped, so in the body position on the goal against the opponent in the second third.” He knew it. We talked before the four-on-four duel about having to slow down in the D-zone and we just gave the guy a little too much space. The guy didn't score, but the rebound scored. Otherwise I liked his acceleration on the breakaway, it was excellent. That's NHL speed. Just refining a few little areas defensively and using that speed in his game and also in a defensive role, not just an offensive role. And he does, but I think just on a consistent basis every shift.

“The first two periods were much better in my opinion. I think in the third period we all took our foot off the pedal a little bit and talked about how we don't want to do that, so that's still something with our team and our organization that we want to work on.

“But Frank had a good game, a beautiful goal and was strong in many areas, especially early in the game, which really helped push our team forward. But he just works on his whole game every shift.”

(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)