The Chicago Blackhawks don't have to take a defenseman if the top three forwards are all off the board.
The Chicago Blackhawks have some options with the 4th overall pick, but it will mostly depend on what the teams ahead of them do.
Chicago needs forwards more than they need defensemen at both the NHL level and within the pipeline, which begs the question about best player available vs organizational need.
The truth is, if Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Caleb Malhotra are the first three picks, that doesn't mean that the Blackhawks are forced into taking a defenseman.
If they don't think that one of Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, or Carson Carels is going to be better than Artyom Levshunov or Sam Rinzel, and there is a fourth forward that they really like, they must not hesitate to take the risk.
Forwards like Viggo Bjorck, Tynan Lawrence, Ethan Belchetz, and Wyatt Cullen are projected to be NHL-caliber forwards in the future, and the Blackhawks need as many of those as they can.
If one of them is at the top of their board, even more than any of the defensemen, there is no shame in that. Kyle Davidson has to do what he feels will make the team better in the long term, even if it goes against popular opinion.
Of those forwards, Viggo Bjorck and Tynan Lawrence appear to have the highest ceiling. For Bjorck, he shone at the World Juniors and World Championships, which featured other young stars like Ivar Stenberg and Anton Frondell.
If the Blackhawks ended up with a forward like him, he has the mold of a player who could slot in on a line with his countryman Frondell. The success that they've had with Sweden on the national stage could translate to the NHL.
As for Lawrence, he had times when he was projected to be a top-three pick in the draft. His time at B.U. showed just how hard the transition to college hockey can be, and he wasn't the only one who dealt with that reality check in 2025-26.
Chicago also doesn't have to use the 4th overall pick. If those top-three forwards are gone, there is the option of trading the selection. Trading down could still land them one of the other forwards mentioned, plus another asset.
As with any other team that has selected 4th overall in the past, some decisions must be made depending on what the three teams ahead of them decide. For the Blackhawks this year, positional need could come into play.
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