The Blackhawks have the draft picks and assets in order to drastically improve and compete quicker.
The Blackhawks have the draft picks and assets in order to drastically improve and compete quicker.
The Chicago Blackhawks are on the rise and have such a deep prospect pool that draft picks can continue to be used to improve immediately instead of adding exclusively through the draft or to draft better players with higher picks. The Blackhawks did a stellar job of this starting in the 2024 offseason before the draft and during it.
Chicago got ahead of things by acquiring higher draft picks this year when the team used extra picks and future picks. This advances the timeline by a year or so each time the Blackhawks can pull it off.
In late May 2024, the Blackhawks moved up two spots in the first round from 20 to 18 when they made a deal with the New York Islanders. While the Blackhawks also received the 50th overall pick, the team sent back the 54th and 61st picks, hence using three picks to get two better ones in return. For how many prospects the Blackhawks have in the organization, it's better to prioritize quality over quantity.
As the Blackhawks made that deal with the Islanders ahead of the draft, Chicago also capitalized on the Carolina Hurricanes twice during the draft, one time on the first day during the first round and the second time on Day 2.
The Blackhawks moved into the first round to make a third selection by acquiring the 27th overall pick and giving up the 34th and 50th. In terms of what the Blackhawks could hope to draft with another first-rounder over two second-round picks, it was a great move to raise the likelihood of drafting another potential NHL player for down the line.
The second deal made with the Hurricanes came when Chicago acquired a third pick in the third round of 2024, moving their own third-round pick in 2025. For the Blackhawks, it allowed them to draft someone a year early and get an extra year of development rather than wait a whole year. What the Hurricanes saw in this is that the Blackhawks will likely finish lower than them next season, resulting in a higher pick. From a Blackhawks perspective, I like it either way. Get a prospect in the system a year early and have him developed quicker to potentially help out sooner while Chicago is on the rise.
What the Future for the Blackhawks Holds
All of that is just what the Blackhawks were able to accomplish this year. With 11 picks in the first two rounds over next three years, Chicago will soon have too many contracts and have to continue to use up draft picks through methods of moving up in the draft or moving around accordingly.
Soon, a lot of the players already drafted will be graduating to pro and need contracts and there are already a ton of prospects to deal with. Top prospects like Oliver Moore, Roman Kantserov, Sam Rinzel, and Adam Gajan all aren't signed yet either.
An underrated attempt to get much better at the draft came from Utah. They made three moves, two of which could be similar to what the Blackhawks may think about pulling off next year or in the future. In acquiring top defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, Utah gave up a good young player (J.J. Moser), top prospect (Conor Geekie), a high draft pick (2025 second-round pick), and a late draft pick (2024 seventh-round pick).
The team soon followed that up by acquiring John Marino from the New Jersey Devils as well as a 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2024 and 2025 second-round pick. Both saw Utah acquire two very good defensemen and use their high draft picks to do so, making them much more competitive right now.
It doesn't make sense for the Blackhawks to use all 11 draft picks in the first two rounds over the next three years. I can see the team adding an established player or two as well as using two picks to move up into the first round or move up further in the first round of the 2025 or 2026 drafts.
Chicago is in such a great spot right now. They didn't commit too long-term with many of their offseason additions, have a ton of talent coming through the pipeline, have many assets at their disposal, got much better with said additions, and are on the rise quickly. Kyle Davidson's imagination of what the Blackhawks can be is coming to fruition.
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