Ian Mitchell entered the Blackhawks prospect pipeline with the highest expectations and hopes that he could one day be a top pairing defenseman to lead the Blackhawks back to glory. Mitchell was thrown right into the fire by the Bowman regime and never had the opportunity to fully develop in Rockford first. With his confidence shaken after 39 games on the main roster in the 2020-2021 season and only registering 7 points, Mitchell was demoted to Rockford for almost the entire 2021-2022 season.
Mitchell actually played very well in Rockford during that time, registering 35 points in 57 games and logging a respectable +/- -2. With his new found confidence after a great season, Mitchell played 35 in Chicago last season. Mitchell had 8 points and was a +/- 8. Mitchell wasn't in the lineup regularly, which was a headscratcher given that he is now 24 years old and has more talent than some of the defenseman the Blackhawks decided to play on a nightly basis. His +/- -8 was actually better than Connor Murphy, Caleb Jones, Jack Johnson, and Seth Jones.
Entering a critical offseason for the Blackhawks, Ian Mitchell is now a restricted free agent. There was chatter at the deadline that the Blackhawks could move on from Mitchell and give him a change of scenery, but nothing actually came from the rumors. With many defensive prospects likely making the jump next season to Rockford and some guys in Rockford poised to make the opening night roster, is there room for Ian Mitchell?
I think that Ian Mitchell deserves a chance to play a full season at the NHL level before the team potentially moves on. This season was a dumpster fire for Chicago, as they had the third worst goal differential in the NHL at -97. Both of the Blackhawks leading scorers were traded at the deadline and still finished the season as the top two in points for the team. All of the defenseman struggled, but Mitchell showed spurts of promise. While his development was mishandled, giving Mitchell a shot on the main roster can avoid the team from making the same mistake on the other prospects sitting in Rockford. What do you think? Does Mitchell deserve another chance?
