Blackhawks get extra depth on defense with newbies Rutta and Forsling

Despite losing a few impact players in the offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks have kicked off their 2017-18 campaign looking like a competitive club. But their early season dominance isn't just the work of the well-known core that has hoisted a few Stanley Cups over the past decade. The blue line has an impressive new look thanks to some new blood – and they aren't even the team's top pair.

Enter NHL newbie Jan Rutta and rookie Gustav Forsling. Two pleasant additions to the Blackhawk's arsenal.

In fact, Rutta is easily one of the top defenseman Chicago has right now – an unexpected surprise from the 27-year-old European product. "I don't know if we were expecting that level of play," coach Joel Quenneville discussed with the Chicago Sun-Times. "Puck movement, reliability, dependability – he's been excellent." That's quite the compliment for the Czech blue liner, who wasn't really expected to make the jump to the NHL.

And then there's Forsling, a relatively familiar call-up who is proving to be more than just a gun-slinging rookie. After getting a little bit of face time last season when Chicago's d-corpse was banged up, the 21-year-old has demonstrated that by notching a few points and taking a puck to the face against the Montreal Canadiens. (Which earned him a whopping 15 stitches.)

Now the two haven't taken over the Keith-Seabrook duo as the top two pairs. But they have collectively registered eight points in six games, with Rutta notching a pair of goals and assists and Forsling getting four apples. Plus, they are keeping the opposition from finding the back of the net, as Chicago has one of the lowest goals-against per games played through the first couple weeks of the campaign. NBCSports Chicago insider Tracey Myers points out that this blue line isn't letting other teams take advantage of rebounds. Which, of course, makes netminder Corey Crawford's job much easier.

Quite the feat for a couple up-and-coming defensemen – who are on a good team, and competing in a tough division.