Blackhawks Strategy: Testing Frondell at Wing

The Chicago Blackhawks are considering a lineup change that would move rookie Anton Frondell from center to the wing. The team lost to Detroit on Thursday, canceling its Friday practice. General Manager Kyle Davidson faces a decision on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. The final lineup will not be announced until warmups.

Frondell has not participated in the extensive line changes implemented by Coach Jeff Blashill. He has played center since training camp began. Veteran Tyler Bertuzzi has been assigned to the left wing spot. This pairing was effective early in the season. Its results have declined recently.

Blashill identified Frondell as a player who did not compete hard enough on Thursday. This marks the third time in the last five games that the coach described Frondell's performance as subpar. The 19 year old has not recorded a point in six consecutive games. His ice time dropped to a career low of 11 minutes and 44 seconds in the Detroit loss.

Blashill noted that the 19 year old has a 10 to 3 ratio of good games to bad games this season. The trend is moving downward. The coach admitted he may not have given Frondell enough opportunities to escape his slump. Frondell is a large forward with talent that could impact both offense and defense if used correctly.

The team has struggled to find stability at the wing position opposite Connor Bedard. Roman Kantserov has had a partner there. Ryan Greene and Teuvo Teravainen have also tried the spot without success. Patrick Kane has also skated there. Placing Frondell in this role would test a different aspect of his game.

This change would not alter the long term view of Frondell as a future star center. The team could revert to his original position if the wing experiment fails. It could also shift Bedard to the wing if needed. Ryan Donato said Frondell appears to have learned difficult lessons quickly. The current strategy of spreading forward talent thin may be diluting effectiveness.