Is It Too Soon To Lose Hope On Nicolas Beaudin?
Nicolas Beaudin has recently found himself lost in the shuffle of all the new defensive prospects drafted or acquired by the Blackhawks over the past few seasons. Beaudin was once a highly touted prospect but was another victim of having his development rushed along too quickly. Beaudin was drafted in the 1st round of the 2018 NHL Draft at number 27 overall. With all the hype surrounding Beaudin seemingly completely faded, lets take a look at how he has progressed and if he should be seen as a piece of the future here in Chicago.
During his inaugural season in the AHL, Beaudin skated in 59 games for Rockford, scoring 15 points and a +/- 5. In the 2020-21 season, Beaudin skated in 19 games in Chicago. He managed to score 6 points and was a 1 +/-. Beaudin wasn't consistent enough to stay in the lineup. He was promoted and demoted to and from the taxi squad that season, filling in whenever a player went down with injury or COVID-19. In his 9 games with Rockford in the 2020-21 season, he scored 10 points in 9 games there. We saw some flashes of Beaudin's potential, but in my opinion, having him on the taxi squad for the majority of the Covid shortened season was a waste of development.
The 2021-22 season was more of the same for Beaudin, showing flashes of potential but not maintaining a consistent level of play required for the NHL. Beaudin skated in 66 games and only managed to score 16 points. He also finished the year as a +/- 4. Beaudin's ice time has also began to dwindle. In his NHL stints, Beaudin averaged 13:14 of TOI per game. Beaudin has been averaging roughly the same, if not lower, in Rockford this last season. Beaudin has fallen into the shadows behind Ian Mitchell, Isaak Phillips, Alec Regula, and now Alex Vlasic. While his path to the NHL may not be as clear as it once was, I think it is too soon to give up hope completely.
Beaudin is still only 22 years old. While a few years of his development may have been wasted, Beaudin still has the potential to be an NHL caliber defenseman. What he lacks in size he makes up for in effort and heart. While he may not be on his way to the NHL soon, I think another full season in Rockford will allow him to get back to the game that got him drafted in the 1st round, which would be big for the future of the Blackhawks in 2023 and beyond.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Beaudin has a future in the NHL? | ||
| Yes, he still has upside | 55 | 53.9 % |
| No, he is too far gone | 47 | 46.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
