He could do it, you know. He could think offense-first. He could prioritize his own counting stats. He could cheat a bit, linger a little higher, blow the zone early, cherry-pick. He’s got the skills, the anticipation, the vision, the hands to pull it off. Sixty points? Seventy points? Eighty?
Teuvo Teräväinen could do that.
Well, he theoretically could do that.
“Sometimes, when I’m not scoring a lot, I’ll go into the game and I’ll be like, ‘Today, I’ll just be the guy who plays a lot of offense and doesn’t even worry about defense,’” Teräväinen said. “But then I step on the ice and I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll just play defense, too.’ I can’t change who I am.”
Who Teräväinen is, is who he’s always been — the well-rounded pro, the 200-foot player, the Finnish army knife who could slot in at center or wing, on the top line or the checking line, on the power play or the penalty kill. Even as a wide-eyed rookie in a key role in the Blackhawks’ run to the 2015 Stanley Cup, Teräväinen played a surprisingly savvy two-way game. It’s why Joel Quenneville — who always cast a wary eye toward young players who viewed defense as a secondary priority — played him in all but one of Chicago’s games in the second, third and fourth rounds that spring.
Teräväinen played the game the right way at 20 years old. And he plays the game the right way at 30 years old.
“I don’t even remember when I was a young player,” Teräväinen said with a chuckle. “It’s hard to play defense when you’re just coming into the league, for sure, because the guys are so strong and so skilled. But it’s the Finnish style, maybe. We try to be pretty responsible and don’t try to cheat the game too much.”
But has Teräväinen become a victim of his versatility? The veteran winger was lured to Chicago from Carolina with the potential — if not outright promise — of playing on Connor Bedard’s wing for the next three seasons, of being in a permanent top-six role and serving as a mentor to help mold Bedard into a more complete player.
But since the start of November, Teräväinen has played just 23 minutes with Bedard at five-on-five. He’s played more with Joey Anderson than he has with Bedard. Luke Richardson continues to flail for line combinations that will result in an offensive awakening for the Blackhawks, changing the entire lineup nearly every game. He’s scratched Taylor Hall. He’s scratched Philipp Kurashev. He’s had Lukas Reichel on the top line as a winger and on the fourth line as a center. He’s had Jason Dickinson as a shutdown third-line center and as the No. 1 center, bumping Bedard to the wing. He’s moved Nick Foligno all around the lineup. He’s used Ryan Donato everywhere, too.
And he’s had Teräväinen in a bottom-six checking role far more than he’s had him in a top-six offensive role. Wednesday against the Dallas Stars, Teräväinen will start on the second line with Hall and Donato. Who knows where he’ll be by the game’s end? Or by Friday’s matinee in Minnesota?
“Right now, figuring out the lines, that’s what we do — we use him all over,” Richardson said. “We really respect his hockey sense. He can play in any situation.”
It’s a blessing and a curse for Teräväinen, who’s been battling his confidence issues as the points have dried up. He had three goals and four assists in the first five games of the season, on the top line and the top power-play unit (five of those points came on the power play). He’s had just two goals and one assist in the 16 games since. Teräväinen’s used to scoring — he’s been a productive player throughout his career, posting at least 21 goals in four of his eight seasons with the Hurricanes, including a career-high 25 goals last season and a 76-point campaign back in 2018-19.
Those goals have been harder to come by in a more defensive role. On top of that, while Teräväinen’s defensive numbers are still solid relative to his teammates, they’re the worst of his career — an obvious product of leaving one of the best possession teams in the league for one of the worst. In fact, it’s all been worse for Teräväinen since Richardson detached him from Bedard. With Bedard, he has a 51.74-percent expected goals share and the Blackhawks have been outscored just 7-6. Without Bedard, he has a ghastly 36.93-percent xG share and the Blackhawks have been outscored 5-1.
So while Teräväinen can play a checking role, it’s clearly not what’s best for him — or for the team.
“It should just get him more ice time,” Richardson said of Teräväinen’s versatility. “It’s up to me to make sure if he’s really going that game, to get him in all situations. If someone else is maybe not going a little bit, then he’s a guy you can pop anywhere. He’s so smart. He can play with anybody and do anything on both sides of the puck. So I don’t think that’s going to hurt him. I don’t think he gets lost. I don’t think you can forget about him. You almost have to be careful you don’t try to give him too much.”
That certainly hasn’t been a problem of late. Teräväinen was averaging 19 minutes and 26 seconds of ice time in October; he’s getting just 14:55 in November. He’s played more than 15:02 just twice in the last 10 games, and both of those games went to overtime.
Teräväinen, as you’d expect given his laid-back personality, shrugged it all off, saying that Rod Brind’Amour moved him around a lot in Carolina too. But on a new team with unfamiliar teammates, Teräväinen hasn’t had much of a chance to develop any real chemistry with anyone, least of all Bedard — the guy he was ostensibly brought in to play with.
“Doesn’t really matter what the plan was, everything always changes,” Teräväinen said. “We might go back together at some point, you never know. We’re just trying to get better as a team and find what’s working. I feel like we’re close.”
Teräväinen sought the bright side of his separation from Bedard, noting that he can get a better view of Bedard’s game from the bench and Bedard can do the same with him, so they can learn from each other in that way. Might seem like a stretch, but when you’re not scoring, not winning and not playing as much, you grasp for whatever silver linings you can find.
With a power-play goal against the Panthers on Thursday and a secondary assist — combining with Bedard to set up Dickinson as their lines overlapped against the Ducks last Tuesday — Teräväinen could be finally shedding his lengthy slump. Being back in the top six — albeit not with Bedard — against the Stars should help.
And hey, three years, the length of Teräväinen’s contract, is a long time. This could all end up being a minor blip, and Teräväinen might spend the next 225 games joined at the hip with Bedard, helping the kid become the star he’s destined to be, and putting up the monster numbers he’s always been capable of himself.
If not, Teräväinen will do whatever he can to make himself useful in whatever role he’s in. He always does.
“I’ll play whatever,” he said. “I’m used to it.”
(Top photo of Teuvo Teräväinen: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
