This Blackhawk Needs To Step Up In Connor Bedard’s Absence

If there’s one bright spot to the barrage of injuries the Blackhawks have suffered so far this season, it’s that the roster is wide open for new players to make a bigger impact. With enough of Chicago’s top skaters on the injured list to field a pretty good team, young forwards are being asked to step up in ways they haven’t before, giving them a unique chance to play on top lines that they wouldn’t get anywhere else.

One player in particular has a great chance to use his ice time to find success – Lukas Reichel. The 21-year-old came into this season with as high of expectations as anyone. His surprising success at the close of the season last spring should have been a springboard for Reichel to continue to develop into an excellent scorer and integral part of Chicago’s top six forwards.

Now nearly halfway through the 2023-24 season, the opposite has been true. A presumed lethal scorer has been stone-cold with the puck, tallying just three goals and five assists on the year. Reichel waited until November to get in the scoring column for the first time, and as a result, he was the topic of many frenzied conversations about his future with the franchise. With his coaching staff frantic to find a combination that worked, Reichel was constantly moved around in the lineup, a trend that hasn’t changed much in recent weeks. With his lack of offensive production, it’s been hard for Luke Richardson to give Reichel much time in the top six.

With top-line talents like Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno on IR, the current Blackhawks’ roster is a godsend for Reichel to try to prove himself. He figures to get plenty of run in a top-six role, which began on Sunday afternoon when the Blackhawks hosted Calgary. However, Reichel didn’t get the memo. While he was on the ice for four shots from Chicago during the game, Reichel was out there for 10 shots from Calgary.

Reichel is getting every opportunity to succeed – he received more than 19 minutes of ice time in Sunday’s game and will be counted on to make something happen at least for the next few weeks. He won’t get a better opportunity than this one and has to step up while he still has the chance to do so. With restricted free agency pending at the end of the year, Reichel will have to show why he belongs on the team as part of its long-term future, something he’s failed to do so far this season.