Why sending Nicolas Beaudin to Rockford was a mistake

The Chicago Blackhawks made some big roster moves today, affecting a number of players at the AHL and changing the team’s cab squad. One of those measures was to send the young leading defender Nicolas Beaudin to the miners.

In a press release, the Hawks announced that Beaudin had been reassigned to the team’s minor league affiliate, the Rockford Icehogs. Beaudin was one of the few notable players to make his way to Rockford, including goaltender Collin Delia, who was assigned to the Icehogs during a conditioning stint.

It’s unclear how long Beaudin will stay with the Rockford Icehogs. However, sending it down seems like an extremely confusing gesture. While he’s still basically a true rookie (he played one game in the 2020 season), Beaudin has been playing really well lately. If anything, he certainly played and looked better than some of the other defenders on the team, so sending him to the minors is pretty odd.

Beaudin has played 155 total minutes this season, averaging just over 14 minutes per game, and has also blocked 11 shots. He is also a +3 on the season. I don’t generally consider a player’s +/- to be a valid statistic because it doesn’t take special team situations into account. However, Beaudin’s +3 actually ranks third overall, so it’s worth mentioning.

Also, Beaudin’s shooting percentage is currently the best on the Hawks at 40%. Although he only took five shots on goal, he scored on two of them, which obviously helps the team as well, and is certainly a notable statistic for a defender.

Sending Nicolas Beaudin is a Chicago Blackhawks mistake.

Speaking of defense, he can throw his weight a bit too, contributing six hits. He also has a defensive points share of 0.6, which ranks just outside the team’s top ten. Why general manager Stan Bowman would send a promising young player like Beaudin to minors is a bit confusing, especially given the team’s recent success.

It’s important to remember, however, that Beaudin’s positive play comes from a very small sample, as he only played 12 games in total with the Blackhawks. Obviously, he’s still young and inexperienced and has a lot to learn about the NHL game like any rookie. However, the defense as a whole has been shining lately, so why fire Beaudin when he’s just getting into the rhythm? Let him continue to play and improve.

Colliton mixed up the lines a lot in Chicago’s last game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and maybe he saw something from Beaudin that he didn’t like. Whatever the reason he was sent to Rockford, I hope Nicolas Beaudin will be back with the Hawks sooner rather than later, as they are a team that are probably better off with him on the roster.