Blackhawks’ blue line remains in a constant state of flux

LAS VEGAS — Jordan Oesterle had waited. And waited. And waited.

So after spending the first seven games of the season as a healthy scratch — as his coach openly wondered if Rockford would be the best spot for him — Oesterle wasn’t about to waste his first opportunity when it finally came. And as he did throughout training camp, Oesterle impressed coach Joel Quenneville in his Blackhawks debut last week against the Oilers. That kept him in the lineup against the Coyotes, and he was on the ice for a third straight game Tuesday night in Las Vegas while Michal Kempny sat again.

“It’s been nice,” Oesterle said. “Obviously I’m not taking it for granted. We have eight defensemen who can really play, and whenever I get my chance, I just try to make the most of it and hopefully not come out of the lineup.”

The blue-line calculus has been changing regularly for weeks now. Cody Franson’s signing, Jan Rutta’s emergence, Connor Murphy’s early inconsistency and Oesterle’s versatility have kept the defense in a constant state of flux. Franson, expected to stabilize the third pairing, has played just two games. Murphy, expected to play alongside Duncan Keith, has been scratched twice and has been relegated to the third pairing. Rutta, expected to be a depth guy or a minor-leaguer, has been the Hawks’ second-best defenseman behind Keith.

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It’s a messy, complicated rotation. And it’s not likely to change anytime soon.

“We’ve got eight good defensemen that are all capable of playing,” general manager Stan Bowman said. “Until someone starts struggling or until we have injuries, it’s probably going to be that way, where a good player who is playing well is going to be sitting out. It’s better than the alternative, when you’ve got four defensemen you have faith in and you’re scrambling to find five and six.”

Despite the uncertainty, Oesterle said it’s important to not be looking over his shoulder all the time. Tentative, nervous play is a sure-fire way to lose your spot.

“The coaches emphasize that,” he said. “If you go out there and don’t play your game, you’re hurting yourself. You got here for a reason — all of us did. So I think it’s just going out there and playing your game. Mistakes happen, but try to limit them and make a positive out of the game.”

Fourth-line fight

Nick Schmaltz’s early-season injury should have been a boost for Tanner Kero, who moved up in the lineup in Schmaltz’s absence. But instead, it allowed Tommy Wingels to show he could be the fourth-line center, leaving Kero on the outside looking in.

Kero was a healthy scratch for the third time in four games Tuesday. But he said bouncing around the lineup for a few games was a good thing.

“It’s nice to be able to play in different situations — you want to be as versatile as you can,” Kero said. “You want to be able to play whatever line they need you to play, whatever position you need to play.”

For now, Kero will wait while the “energy line” of Lance Bouma, Wingels and John Hayden plays a physical game that doesn’t necessarily suit Kero’s strengths.

“I’m not too sure what that line’s going to be yet,” Kero said. “It almost seems like it’s different day to day, what we have out there. You just want to make sure you’re competing, and trying to be good defensively. And whatever the combinations are, we have that ability to bring some offense and make it hard on other teams.”

Follow me on Twitter @MarkLazerus.

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com