As the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament winds down, it’s time to start turning our focus back to the NHL.
While the Chicago Blackhawks have been out of sight, out of mind for many because of the lack of Blackhawks representation at the Olympics, this break is important for many of the players on the team.
While I could’ve picked more than these three, I believe that these three Blackhawks will benefit from this break the most.
Artyom Levshunov
Artyom Levshunov has taken tons of heat from media and fans as the league got closer to the Olympic break, and for good reason. Although he had a solid start to his season, his play got off the rails, and it led to Levshunov getting scratched for the final three games before the break.
Before head coach Jeff Blashill decided to scratch Levshunov, he went nine games without recording a point and was a minus-11. Now I’ll be the first one to tell you that plus/minus isn’t the best stat, but when it gets that egregious, it’s a story.
The underlying numbers also match how bad the basic stats were in that stretch. In those nine games, which started on Jan. 12, his expected goals for percentage (xGF%) was a staggeringly low 35.94.
Related: Blackhawks Fans Need to Be Patient With Levshunov
While it’s been ugly, I don’t think it’s the end of the world. I’d assume Levshunov would’ve wanted to play in the Olympics if Belarus were eligible, but the fact they’re not might be a blessing in disguise for him.
If he were to play at the Olympics, he’d be tasked with big minutes against the top competition in the world. That very well could’ve been disastrous with how poorly he was playing leading up to it. Instead, he’s been able to get a couple of weeks away from the rink. Taking a mental reset might be exactly what he needs to get his season back on track.
Spencer Knight
I think this Olympic break will be good for all the goalies who didn’t make their respective Olympic teams, but especially Spencer Knight.
Knight has played 39 of the 57 Blackhawks games so far and has been a top-five to seven goalie in the league this season. He’s either within or just outside the top five in every major statistical category aside from save percentage (SV%), as well as goals-against average (GAA), which I’d argue is more of a team stat than it is a goaltender stat.
Although he still hasn’t been terrible, the last month of hockey for Knight dropped off the level we saw him at earlier in the season. Through the month of January, Knight played 10 games and posted a .907 SV% and a 7.33 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
To put that into comparison to the rest of his season, through 27 games, he posted a .910 SV% and a 20.45 GSAx.
I’m not saying he and Levshunov are in the same boat because, to me, Knight has been the Blackhawks’ MVP this season, but time away from the rink, as well as mental and physical rest, will be very beneficial for the young goaltender.
Andre Burakovsky
I know Andre Burakovsky is in a lot of Blackhawks fans’ dog house right now, and rightfully so. He wasn’t good for a long stretch of games leading into the Olympic break.
Burakovsky hasn’t scored in 13 games and has just one point in that stretch of games. On top of this, his overall game hasn’t been good. This was headlined following a terrible giveaway in the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets that led to a goal.
The 30-year-old’s struggles are undeniable. It got to the point where people started asking head coach Jeff Blashill about them.
As Blashill said in the tweet above, the last ten have been a struggle, but the ten before that, Burakovsky was solid. I think where this is reflected the most is that he still has the third most points on the team.
If you haven’t noticed a theme with two of the three players I’ve selected, this break benefits guys who were struggling before the Olympics. A mental and physical reset could be huge for some of these guys, and maybe it can be big for Burakovsky, too.
