Despite their 2022-23 season being well in the books, the Blackhawks’ front office, along with their fans, were undoubtedly keeping an eye on the first-round playoff matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. With both teams in a separate conference entirely, it wasn’t as if they were rooting against a rival.
Instead, as the Lightning fell to the Maple Leafs Saturday night, the Blackhawks were able to improve their standing in the upcoming draft. Chicago was the owner of the first-round pick of Tampa Bay, who lost in game 6. The pick was a result of a trade during the 2021-22 season where the Blackhawks shipped off forward Brandon Hagel in return for a package that included it, a 2024 conditional first-rounder, Taylor Raddysh, and Boris Katchouk.
With the Lightning being eliminated in the first round, it was confirmed that Chicago would pick no lower than 20th overall with their second first-round selection. Then, the Florida Panthers helped even further by knocking off the Boston Bruins in a shocking game 7 win, sending the team that had set the season points record home. Thus, the pick improved to 19th overall.
Spreading The Wealth?
As the Blackhawks find themselves in the unique position of owning two first-round draft picks, it will be interesting to find out which positions they choose to attack with those selections. One can reasonably assume that they’ll grab a forward with their own top-five selection since that’s where the talent is this year. But will they go back to the well at pick 19? This is a team that is obviously looking to make their offensive lines younger, building for the future from the front. However, there are more than a few defensemen in this class that they undoubtedly have a first-round grade on. What if players like David Reinbacher or Mikhail Gulyayev fall into their laps? The blue line group isn’t getting any younger in Chicago with the exception of Wyatt Kaiser, and Kyle Davidson may aim to tackle both ends of the ice with his dual first-round picks.
The Next Toews-Kane Combo?
On the other hand, perhaps he looks to double down on the offensive front. There’s no shortage of talent in that department this year, even with concerns that this draft class is “front-loaded”. If the Blackhawks’ front office was able to hit on both first-round picks as forwards, they would be set for a long time. Blackhawks fans may get a sense of deja vu if they would take this route, in hopes that these players’ production would mirror that of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who were drafted together on the front line only a year apart. While that comparison would be a stretch, to say the least, Chicago has the opportunity to draft two potentially perennial producers in the first round this year.
The Blackhawks will receive even more news about where they’ll make selections next Monday night during the NHL Draft Lottery. As they finished third-worst in the overall league standings, their own first-round selection is yet to be decided. The team can select no lower than fifth, as they enter the lottery with an 11.5% chance to get the first overall pick, the third-highest odds. Overall, every increase in every spot for every pick helps as the Blackhawks attempt to keep building this young club from the ground up.
