T he Chicago Blackhawks believe they drafted a franchise pillar when they selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State University. After registering 35 points in 38

Artyom Levshunov is expected to be sidelined another four weeks with a right foot injury, but the Chicago Blackhawks defenseman could start skating soon. Levshunov, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft,

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson announced that rookie Artyom Levshunov will miss the entire preseason with a lower-body injury and is expected to be out for four weeks.

Chicago drafted Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL draft and he clearly surpassed even the gaudiest expectations even though he missed 14 games with a broken jaw. Bedard managed to top all NHL rookies in points, ultimately winning the 2023-24 Calder Trophy as the best rookie.

The Chicago Blackhawks opened training camp Thursdasy with the formal introduction of new captain Nick Foligno, who gave a nod to his predecessor, Jonathan Toews.

With that free time and much more, Bedard went to work. After his first NHL season, his biggest focus was adding speed this offseason while he was back home in Vancouver. He sought to simulate NHL play as much and increase his skating within it. It’s early, but Bedard does look faster than he did a season ago. He feels it, too.