DENVER — Young Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser always has been an agile skater, but he has been using that skill more to his advantage recently.
Since returning from Rockford of the AHL at the start of March, Kaiser has focused on making ‘‘two or three hard strides’’ whenever he gets the puck to give himself more time and space.
‘‘[I’m] just focusing on what makes me successful . . . like moving my feet and having that confidence to make plays,’’ Kaiser, 22, said Monday. ‘‘Even if I screw up a few times, whatever. [I will] continue to try to skate and make those plays.’’
That approach paid off with a standout performance March 1 against the Ducks, in which Kaiser’s quick movement led to a pretty goal and several other nice plays. He scored again Friday against Utah, then delivered another standout effort Saturday against the Predators, making some impressive defensive-zone breakout passes and getting involved offensively.
Interim coach Anders Sorensen said he has talked with Kaiser frequently — dating to last season in Rockford — about his skating and acceleration being skills that can differentiate him from other defensemen.
‘‘Now he’s starting to realize, ‘This is my super-strength, so I’m going to play to my super-strength,’ ’’ Sorensen said.
It’s worth noting the Hawks previously have seen Kaiser thrive immediately after returning from a stint in Rockford, only for his play to fall off over time as defensive breakdowns undermine his confidence. Only time will tell whether this NHL stint will go differently and whether he will sustain the improvement.
The Hawks would love for him to do so, but it wouldn’t make general manager Kyle Davidson’s job of figuring out the 2025-26 defensive roster any easier.
Simply put, the Hawks are slated to have way more young defensemen ready to graduate into full-time NHL roles next season than they can accommodate at once. Even with Seth Jones gone and veterans Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie leaving this summer — Brodie likely via buyout — there won’t be nearly enough roster spots to go around.
Kaiser, Ethan Del Mastro (who also has excelled in March), Kevin Korchinski, Louis Crevier and Nolan Allan will have two or three professional seasons and 20-plus NHL games under their belts. Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel will have less experience, but they’re arguably the most talented of the bunch.
Alex Vlasic has established himself as a top-pairing guy for years to come, and Connor Murphy has one year left under contract and provides a veteran presence that might be scarce on the back end next season. That’s already nine guys competing for seven spots.
Plus, Davidson likely will pursue at least one significant free-agent addition — such as Aaron Ekblad (despite his 20-game suspension Monday for performance-enhancing drugs), Ivan Provorov or Jakub Chychrun — unless he’s content with Murphy being his only defenseman older than 24, which seems unlikely.
Among that group of youngsters, Kaiser and Crevier are pending restricted free agents, but they almost certainly will receive qualifying offers in June and be re-signed — unless they’re traded.
And getting traded is a genuine possibility for them and for several others in that group because the Hawks have entered the stage of their rebuild in which Davidson intends to get aggressive with bolstering the NHL roster. If he can convert two guys with third-pairing upside into one proven top-four guy, he will do it.
Last summer, Davidson’s quantity-over-quality approach to free agency (after striking out on dream signing Jake Guentzel) failed decisively. This summer, focusing on the trade market and packaging ‘‘future assets’’ — picks, prospects and/or young pros — for needle-moving NHL players might be a smarter approach. He acknowledged that Friday.
In the meantime, Kaiser and his cohorts have five weeks left to jockey for position before the offseason arrives.