Blackhawks News & Rumors: Draft Lottery, Reichel, Bedard, Worlds

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It’s a busy time of year in the hockey world, with the second round of the NHL playoffs officially underway. But there was a bit of a distraction for non-playoff teams on Tuesday night (May 7). The Chicago Blackhawks finished 31st in the league this past season, so the draft lottery was significant. They were guaranteed at least the fourth overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft. So where did they end up?! Well, unfortunately not with the first overall pick like last season.

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But all is not lost! Let’s cover the draft lottery and all the Blackhawks’ recent offseason updates in the latest news and rumors.

Blackhawks 2024 Draft Details Fall into Place

The Blackhawks had a 13.5% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft lottery. At worst, they would’ve gotten the fourth overall pick. Once all was said and done, the organization ended up with the second overall selection. The San Jose Sharks will pick at No. 1, the Anaheim Ducks No. 3 and the Columbus Blue Jackets No. 4.

Sure, it’s disappointing that the projected No. 1 pick, Macklin Celebrini, won’t be a Blackhawk alongside Connor Bedard. But heck, picking second is better than third, and certainly better than fourth! The No. 2 overall selection in this draft should really be considered a win. Picking first and then second in two consecutive years is always a positive, and will pay dividends for this rebuilding team.

Connor Bedard Chicago Blackhawks
2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard will not be joined by the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Some options for the No. 2 pick include defensemen Artyom Levshunov and Sam Dickinson, wingers Ivan Demidov and Cole Eiserman, and centers Cayden Lindstrom and Berkly Catton, among others. We’ll get into more analysis of who the Blackhawks might select as we get closer to the draft.

The organization recently learned they will also have the 20th overall pick in the first round, based on the elimination of the the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs.

Here’s a look at all the picks for the Blackhawks in this season’s draft.

General manager Kyle Davidson has gotten some gems and made a few savvy moves in his two previous drafts. Let’s see if he can continue the magic.

Reichel Shines With IceHogs; Earns Contract Extension

Top prospect Lukas Reichel had a disappointing 2023-24 season with the Blackhawks, amassing only five goals and 16 points in 65 games. He was even sent down to the Rockford IceHogs for a month-long stint from mid-February through mid-March, in an effort to gain his confidence back.

Once their NHL regular season was over, the Blackhawks announced Reichel would be joining the IceHogs again, to help bolster the team for their playoff run. Unfortunately, the IceHogs only managed one win (a 5-1 victory in Game 2) against their first round opponent, the Grand Rapid Griffins. They were eliminated in Game 4 on May 5.

The German native provided two primary assists for goals by Michal Teply earlier in the series, but Game 4 was where Reichel really stood out. He scored a power play goal in the first period to get the Hogs on the board. Then he won the faceoff which eventually led to his goal in the third period, to cut the Griffins’ lead from 3-1 to 3-2.

While Reichel’s efforts weren’t enough to earn the win for the IceHogs (they eventually fell 4-2), it must have felt good to enter the offseason on this high note. On May 7, the Blackhawks rewarded the 21-year-old by signing him to a two-year contract extension with a $1.2 million annual cap hit. The Blackhawks were expected to re-sign Reichel regardless, but it was anyone’s guess what kind cap hit and term the two parties would agree upon.

$1.2 million is lower than originally expected before Reichel’s struggles this past season, but now it seems pretty fair for both sides. Two years of term gives Reichel some security and time to prove himself. This is the perfect example of a bridge deal where the player has some time to establish himself, and then earn more on his next contract.  

Either way, Reichel is now with the Blackhawks for at least two more seasons.

Many Blackhawks Participating in the World Championships

Five Blackhawks’ players will be headed over to Czechia for the IIHF World Championships that run from May 10-May 26. Many players who aren’t participating in the NHL playoffs love to represent their country and participate in a different kind of meaningful games.

Both Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic will play for Team USA. The team is already participating in pre-tournament games, and here’s an early look at their lines and pairings.

Since Jones and Vlasic comprised the Blackhawks’ top pairing for most of the season, one would think they might be paired together for this tournament as well. But it looks as if Jones might play with Zach Werenski instead. These two were a pairing for over five seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Vlasic, on the other hand, is on the third D-pairing with Michael Kesselring. Vlasic is younger and new to the tournament, so this does make some sense. We’ll just have to watch and see if any adjustments are made as the tournament progresses. Having defensemen that already gel together is a good problem to have.

Related – Blackhawks’ Jones & Vlasic Successful Pair Benefiting From Past

Bedard confirmed at this media exit interview for the Blackhawks that he would, indeed, be representing Team Canada in the Worlds. Originally, top prospects Celebrini and Adam Fantilli were on the roster, but they’ve bowed out after reinforcements came from the playoff-eliminated Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning.    

Pre-tournament games saw Bedard on the top line with Michael Bunting and Jared McCann, but perhaps these reinforcements will bring some changes. It might be fun to see former Blackhawk Hagel play with Bedard.    

Philipp Kurashev will also play for this native Switzerland, and netminder Petr Mrazek for Team Czechia. It sounds like the guys are looking forward to competing against each other despite building bonds over the last season or two as Blackhawks.

**Update: Lukas Reichel will also be participating in this tournament, representing Team Germany. This brings the number to six Blackhawks at the Worlds.

It’s all in good fun. But as GM Davidson recognizes, this tournament really will be a good opportunity for the above Blackhawks’ players. I’m looking forward to watching all of them thrive in this different environment.  

Bedard Named Calder Trophy Finalist

We all knew it was going to happen. It was inevitable, really. Yes, the 18-year-old Bedard was nominated as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded each year to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”

The other two finalists are Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. Both are defensemen, which makes it a tough comparison to the fully offensive-minded Bedard. While Bedard boasts 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games (he missed 14 games to jaw surgery) Faber and Hughes both registered 47 points while playing in all 82 games.

Faber topped all rookies in ice time, while excelling in a solid all-around game while taking on top defenseman duties due to injuries. Hughes led all rookies with 21 power play assists and 25 power play points, establishing himself as quite the PP specialist.

Related – Connor Bedard vs. Brock Faber: Who Will Win the Calder Trophy?

All that said, everyone wants to see highlight reel goals; of which Bedard had many! The skeptics will call out Bedard’s minus-44 plus/minus statistic. Yeah, that’s not a pretty stat, but most pundits think he’s still a shoo-in for the award.

We’ll find out for sure at the NHL Awards Show, which will take place on June 27 in Vegas, one day before the NHL Draft.

Notable Offseason Dates for the Blackhawks

Since we’re on the subject of dates, here are some notable offseason events to mark on your calendar.

In addition, the Blackhawks announced they will once again host a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues in Milwaukee on Oct. 5. The Hawks held an exhibition game in Milwaukee in Oct. 2022 (against the Minnesota Wild) that was a huge success, catering to the state of Wisconsin’s passionate hockey community.

Related – Connor Bedard’s Rookie Season Was Anything But a Disappointment

So much to look forward to! With Bedard entering his second season, lots of other young prospects knocking at the door, and a No. 2 draft pick in the works, there’s already a lot of excitement and hype leading up to the 2024-25 season. It might seem like it’s all a long ways away, but it will be here before you know it!