Is this defenseman worth the wait?

With the Blackhawks' defense being questionable at best, decisions need to be made to clean it up and make way for the future. There are multiple promising rookies waiting for their chance on Chicago's blueline, but there's hardly any space for them. There are players who take up space like Erik Gustafsson, Calvin de Haan and Jake McCabe; should Riley Stillman be among those names of those who need to go?

Stillman is 24 years old and has played a total of 65 games with the Blackhawks. He missed some of the season due to a shoulder injury that was likely caused by a fight. He earned 12 points (2G, 10A) last season, with 67 blocks and 122 hits last season.


From what we've seen of Stillman, he's one of the most physical players on the team. He can finish his checks and hold his own in fights, and that's something that the Hawks lack from both forwards and defensemen. If he learns to throw his body around efficiently, he can keep opponents from entering the zone.


During the rebuild he'll fill a physical role and players like Alec Regula and Alex Vlasic will hopefully follow suit. If older players on the team don't get re-signed, it will come down to Stillman, Seth Jones and Connor Murphy to mentor the younger defensemen.


Getting rid of Stillman instead of letting him develop would defeat the purpose of the rebuild. As a strong skater with physical presence, he has the potential to grow into a good all-around defenseman that should be rebuilt around. Although his results might not be instant, he could easily become one of the Blackhawks' most important players in coming years.