CHICAGO — The Blackhawks put together a list of players in training camp the organization would consider putting a claim in for if they appeared on waivers.
Jarred Tinordi was on that list.
The Blackhawks didn’t have any misconception of what Tinordi was as a defenseman. This wasn’t a case where someone thought a player was being underutilized elsewhere and could envision that player turning into something different in a new location. No, the Blackhawks knew what they saw in Tinordi — a big (6-foot-6, 229 pounds), physical and defensive-minded defenseman — was what they’d be getting.
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But that’s what the Blackhawks wanted. They were looking for a defenseman who would fit their system and could add to the defenseman depth so the organization wouldn’t have to rush any of its prospects in Rockford. The Blackhawks also had heard good things about Tinordi as a teammate and thought he’d fit in well in the locker room.
So when Tinordi was placed on waivers by the New York Rangers on Oct. 9, the Blackhawks put in a claim for him. A day later, he was awarded to them. Since then, he’s been exactly what they expected and maybe even more.
Just as important to the Blackhawks’ expectations, Tinordi hasn’t tried to be someone else. He knows his role. He’s there to be physical. He’s tied for fifth in the NHL with 49 hits. He’s there to defend. He plants himself near the goalie and defends the house area around the net. It’s not by chance the Blackhawks don’t give up a ton of high-danger chances when he’s out there. He’s on the ice for 2.5 expected goals against per 60 minutes in five-on-five play, which is second best among all Blackhawks players with 100 minutes played and tied for 68th in the league among defensemen, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“He knows what he is,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “He doesn’t try to be flashy. He plays hard. Those games within the game, he gives us an edge in that department. He knows when he needs to talk to someone on the other team and let them know, ‘Lay off this guy or I’ll be around.’ That’s good. He just knows his job and he does it well. Everybody has his own limitations, and he grew up in a lifestyle with his dad playing, so he understands it very well. He’s a vocal guy and he doesn’t stand for mediocrity in himself or the team, and he says it. It’s good to have some authority around like that.”
The Blackhawks have provided Tinordi with some stability on and off the ice for the time being. Tinordi would have loved to play out the second year of his two-year deal with the New York Rangers, but once they placed him on waivers with the plan to send him to the AHL, his hope was to get picked up by another team.
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Tinordi was especially excited to be claimed by the Blackhawks because Chicago is a city he’s always enjoyed visiting. When he played for the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL, he and his family would travel to Chicago for a few days around Christmas.
Tinordi, 30, and his family have been living in a hotel since arriving in Chicago, but he said that wasn’t an issue. He has gotten somewhat accustomed to being a journeyman player. Since spending the early part of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him with the No. 22 pick in 2010, he’s been on a lot of teams in the last six years. He’s played for the Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Blackhawks. He played in the AHL and NHL for the Coyotes, Predators and Rangers. He’s been traded once, claimed off waivers twice and had six contracts since his entry-level deal expired.
“If you look at my career, I think it’s been kind of all over the map a little bit, but I’m proud of myself for the way things have kind of shaked out,” Tinordi said. “I stuck with it and kind of worked my way through some of those things. But then also, you get lucky and get a break here and you got to take advantage of it. I’ve been on waivers a bunch of my career, and I was picked up by Boston a couple of years ago, and you try to make the most out of that opportunity and now in Chicago. It’s just kind of taking one step forward and to treat each day like it might be your last day in the league is something that I definitely learned going through everything I’ve been through.”
Prior to the season, one opposing scout thought Tinordi would be a great fit for the Blackhawks for a few reasons.
“He comes in and plays hard and protects guys,” said the scout, who spoke under the condition of anonymity. “He does all the little things. He’s someone young guys can look at and see he’s kind of on the fringe his entire career and he just keeps coming and keeps trying.”
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Tinordi doesn’t mind being an example for younger players. He would have preferred an easier path in the NHL, but that wasn’t meant to be. He never gave up, between his confidence and work ethic, he just kept pushing through.
“I definitely would rather not be in the situation that I’ve been in, but I think I’ve always believed in myself as a player that I can play in this league and I can be a good player in this league,” Tinordi said. “And I’ve taken lumps along the way, but you just got to roll with it and keep working. When I was a younger player, I’ve seen guys going through similar situations that I’ve been through, and it’s easy to just kind of turn away from it and cower down a little bit, and you’ll never see those guys again. That’s something I’ve taken pride in; continue to work. I had (that) belief in myself. If somebody else sees what I’ve been going through, a few waiver claims and stuff like that, maybe they know they can do it. It just takes some work and it takes some bounces.”
Tinordi has been paired with Connor Murphy since arriving. They lead all Blackhawks pairings with 153:58 of five-on-five together. The next pairing is at 83:57. Richardson has leaned heavily on Tinordi and Murphy in the defensive zone. The pairing leads the Blackhawks with 60 defensive zone faceoff starts and has just a 36.64 offensive zone starting faceoff percentage. Despite the defensive zone workload, the pairing has been on the ice for just four goals against this season.
Murphy and Tinordi were teammates before. They were on the Coyotes together for a short time. Beyond that, Murphy thought he and Tinordi have clicked because they play a similar type of game.
“I feel like we just think the same and take pride in defending hard,” Murphy said. “Just that kind of that familiarity (from being with the Coyotes) and then even just that competitiveness and drive. He wants to compete and defend and not give up any goals or chances and shut guys down, so I think that’s both a priority for us. And then everything else on top of that, making good plays and trying to try to feed our forwards and get our shots to the net is a bonus.”
The Blackhawks are holding their annual fathers’ trip when they travel to California for two games this week. It’s just the second fathers’ trip Tinordi has been involved in and the first was in the AHL. His father, Mark Tinordi, will be making the trip. Mark was an NHL defenseman himself and played in 663 NHL games. He finished his career with the Washington Capitals and made a home for his family in Maryland. Tinordi never felt like he had to play hockey because of his dad. It just worked out that way.
“He didn’t really watch too much when I was younger, but I think the biggest thing for me and my brothers was he didn’t really force us into hockey,” Tinordi said. “I think he took the approach that if we like it and we get good at it, things kind of work out for themselves. That’s something I took away. You hear about, you know, crazy hockey parents, everything like that nowadays. But it was a laid-back, different approach. If we came to him with questions or we wanted some input, he would be there for us. But for the most part, he just kind of let us figure it out ourselves.”
Tinordi figured it out then and continues to figure it out now. He’s certainly proven to the Blackhawks he was worth having on that waiver list.
(Photo: Jamie Sabau / USA Today)
