Chicago Blackhawks
Jason Dickinson has quietly become one of the most valuable Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks won a close fought overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night. While Philipp Kurashev scored the game winner, it was Jason Dickinson who opened the Blackhawks scoring that really stood out in the win.
Not only did Dickinson, 29, score a big goal for the Blackhawks, but he also shut down the Wild’s top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello. Dickinson has become one of the best two-way forwards not just on the Blackhawks but in the NHL.
Kirill Kaprizov entered last night’s game with nine goals and 18 assists through 14 games, he was held to just one assist, in large part thanks to Dickinson’s line. Kaprizov was on the ice for just two high danger scoring chances tonight while facing Dickinson.
Coach Luke Richardson and the Blackhawks might have found something with the Hawks third line tonight. Teuvo Teravainen, Dickinson and Joey Anderson have quickly become quite the line, capable of shutting down opposing team’s star players.
After the win, Richardson said Dickinson looked “really good” against Kaprizov and the Wild.
“That’s what we saw most of last year, doing the job defensively and getting rewarded offensively because they’re usually above the other team in the o-zone,” Richardson said. “And when the other team misses a puck or makes a mistake, they have the ability to score. There’s always been interchangeable pieces there but obviously Dickinson is the familiar face that’s always there. He was much better in the face-off circle as well.”
Jason Dickinson GETTING THINGS DONE😤 pic.twitter.com/CjhIYOnWhL
— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) November 11, 2024
Dickinson was 9 for 20 in the faceoff dot, winning 45 percent of his draws. Throughout the season, Dickinson has been the staple of the Hawks third line, playing in a shut down role against opposing team’s star players. While Richardson has paired him with a handful of different players including Anderson, Teravainen, Ilya Mikheyev and Nick Foligno, he is confident in the entire group to get the job done.
“They all know what the job is, and they’ve all stepped up and done the job,” he said. “I’m pretty comfortable with whoever’s there in that position. [Anderson], he’s a pleasure to coach. Whatever you need, and I think that’s a perfect role for him. That’s why they’re so good on the penalty kill as well.”
“That whole line was great going against that line. That’s the key for us.”
— Said Petr Mrazek on the Dickinson line against Wild’s top line.
Defenseman Alex Vlasic has become of the Blackhawks top shut down defenseman in a short time. Vlasic and his linemate Connor Murphy played primarily tonight with the Dickinson line.
“I think he and [Anderson] and [Teravainen] did a great job tonight of just shutting down that top line,” Vlasic said. “It’s a hard thing to do. He’s one of the hottest guys in the league right now. For them to be able to do that for us, that was huge.”
Looking back on the trade that brought Jason Dickinson to the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks traded for Dickinson in October 2022 from the Vancouver Canucks, the Canucks were looking to rid themselves of Dickinson’s contract, a decision one might think they regret at this point.
The Canucks included a 2024 second-round pick in the deal and received defenseman Riley Stillman in return. Since the trade, Dickinson has played 175 games in a Blackhawks uniform. Last year he had his best season offensively scoring 22 goals and registering 35 points. Dickinson even earned some Selke Trophy votes for his play.
Kyle Davidson’s trade for Jason Dickinson was one of his best early moves as general manager of the Blackhawks. With the Hawks not taking the leap to contention just yet, Davidson has to find more deals like this to help spark the team.
For more Blackhawks News from Jim Lynch and Brooke LoFurno, visit Chicago Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.
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