Wyatt Kaiser's health scare complicates Blackhawks' sixth-defenseman battle

The Blackhawks received good news about defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, but his absence has nonetheless complicated the battle for the sixth and seventh defenseman spots in their opening lineup.

The team finally provided clarity on Kaiser on Tuesday, stating the 22-year-old Minnesotan had a concern pop up during his pre-training camp physical that required some invasive testing.

Fortunately, the results came back clean and Kaiser has been cleared to resume ramping up for the season, but it will take him some time to do so. He’s currently working out in the gym, although coach Luke Richardson sounded optimistic he could get back on the ice soon.

Kaiser had been penciled into a third-pairing role and will likely reclaim that role eventually. In the meantime, though, the Hawks’ plethora of other young defensemen on the roster bubble — Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, Isaak Phillips and Louis Crevier — suddenly have twice as many NHL jobs to fight for beneath the established top five of Seth Jones, Alex Vlasic, Alec Martinez, T.J. Brodie and Connor Murphy.

On one hand, this theoretically should improve Korchinski’s chances of staving off his first career assignment to Rockford. On the other hand, his poor performance in the Hawks’ fourth preseason game Tuesday — a 7-2 loss to the Wild — might have convinced the Hawks’ brass that he needs some AHL seasoning.

Korchinski led the team in ice time in both preseason losses last weekend, but he committed two hideous turnovers leading directly to goals Tuesday and spent the entire night swamped in his own zone.

There are very few 20-year-old defensemen playing in that NHL at all, and he demonstrated last season his ability to push through adversity, so there’s no reason to worry about his long-term potential. But it looks increasingly clear — regardless of short-term roster math — that some time building confidence and strength against AHL competition would benefit him.

Other options

If the Hawks agree with that, they might choose to keep both Phillips and Crevier — two guys accustomed to bouncing back and forth between levels — on the NHL roster for their opening trip, starting Oct. 8 in Utah.

Richardson has praised Phillips, 23, for adding more physicality and aggressiveness into his game this year, but his 53 previous games of NHL experience have been maligned by inconsistencies and miscues. Crevier, 23, brings a ton of size but also struggled analytically last season.

Allan is a wild card. The 21-year-old former first-round pick has outlasted his Rockford partner from last season, Ethan Del Mastro, on the camp roster and plays a reliable defensive style, but he has zero NHL experience up to this point.

Shorter practices

The Hawks have essentially split their training camp into two distinct halves, focusing on scrimmages in the first half (allowing players to shake off their summer rust quickly) and shifting to more system-specific drills and off-ice meetings in the second half (nailing down special-teams tactics).

Even when the regular season starts, the Hawks might stick to shorter, more intense practices.

That idea was born in conversations between Richardson and veteran players late last season. Richardson explained in April that such a tweak would encourage players to make it a habit to go all-out every time they step on the ice.

“It’s 100 miles an hour and it’s competitive,” Richardson said then. “And [then] there’s no easing into practice. Because sometimes you start a game and subconsciously you’re like, ‘Oh, man, I’m going to ease into the game,’ and it’s 3-0.”