Hawks complete Seth Jones trade, to keep 2023 1st rounder originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer for Seth Jones in a deal that included multiple first-round picks, one of which had a condition attached to it.
If Chicago landed a Top 2 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Columbus would receive Chicago's 2023 first-round pick and the Blackhawks would keep theirs in 2022. If Chicago landed outside the Top 2, Columbus would possess that 2022 pick and the Blackhawks would keep their own in 2023.
On Tuesday, the NHL held its draft lottery and the Blackhawks had the sixth-highest odds to win the lottery at 7.5 percent. The ping-pong balls ultimately slotted them in at the six spot, which means the Blue Jackets will have the No. 6 overall selection in 2022 and the Blackhawks will retain their 2023 first-round pick.
"Now we know where we stand as we prepare for the upcoming draft," GM Kyle Davidson said in a statement. "We won't have our own first-round pick, but with eight other picks -- including five in the first three rounds -- I have faith in our amateur scouting department's ability to make the most of our selections this summer."
As crazy as this sounds, the Blackhawks can breathe a little sigh of relief that they didn't win the lottery because a team source recently told me that the Top 3 projected players in the 2023 NHL Draft — dynamic playmaker Connor Bedard, Chicago Steel's Adam Fantilli and Russian phenom Matvei Michkov — would likely go No. 1 overall if they were in this year's draft.
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Yes, even ahead of Shane Wright, who's not as slamdunk of a first overall pick as originally believed to be.
The next thing to monitor for the Blackhawks is Edmonton's and Minnesota's playoff runs to see what the rest of their picks in 2022 might look like.
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If the Wild win six more games and Marc-Andre Fleury is the winning goaltender in two of those contests, Chicago will receive Minnesota's first-round pick in 2022. If those conditions aren't met, Chicago will receive Minnesota's second-rounder.
If Edmonton makes it to the Stanley Cup Final and Duncan Keith ranks top four among Oilers defensemen in ice time during the first three rounds, Chicago will receive Edmonton's second-round pick in 2022. If those conditions aren't met, Chicago will receive Edmonton's third-rounder.
Keith currently ranks No. 3 among Oilers defensemen in ice time through four games.
The Montreal Canadiens will pick first overall for the first time since 1980, and will be the first team to pick first in a draft they are hosting since 1985, when the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Wendell Clark.
The New Jersey Devils will pick second, and the Arizona Coyotes will pick third.
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