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History Proves Chicago Blackhawks Will Benefit From 8th Overall Pick

By John Aubert |
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 07: General manager Stan Bowman of the Chicago Blackhawks watches from a skybox as the Blackhawks take on the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on January 7, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Oilers 4-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 07: General manager Stan Bowman of the Chicago Blackhawks watches from a skybox as the Blackhawks take on the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on January 7, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Oilers 4-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

They say you can never predict the future, unless you’re Matt Groening. However, if you follow a historical timeline, you can make sense of what the Chicago Blackhawks’ future could hold and feed off of it.

The Chicago Blackhawks will be the eighth team to draft a player this summer, as the NHL lottery draft has come and gone. Their best odds sat at the seventh pick, but they’ll take what they can get.

Some Blackhawks fans seemed a little bummed that they wouldn’t be choosing Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick, but what can you expect with a 6.5 percent chance of doing so.

If history is going to play a role in this scenario, as it does in any situation, it’s actually in favor of the ‘Hawks this time. Let’s be real for a second: Any top-10 pick in a draft is a gift, as long as you have a level-headed scouting team.

But, in today’s age, a lot can go wrong with drafting a player who just doesn’t quite fit with your team, regardless of how good they may seem. Just take a look at Kyle Beach, the Blackhawks’ 11th-overall pick in 2008. He never played a single regular-season game as a member of the Blackhawks.

A look into the past

To take this into perspective, lets take a look at the recent eighth-overall picks, per Mark Lazerus via Twitter:

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    • Pretty good track record indeed, Mark. With names such as Alex Nylander, defensive craze Zach Werenski, scoring phenomena William Nylander and a not-yet-there-but-progressing Rasmus Ristonlainen, things look pretty good if the ‘Hawks make the right choice come June 22 in Dallas, Texas.

    What will the Blackhawks go for?

    The ideal player the ‘Hawks are looking to draft could possibly be a leveled defenseman who will be a future franchise-defining act.

    There’s no real certainty that will be the case, but they’d be fools not to make that move. Obviously, one of the biggest ailments this year was the defensive structure crumbling to the ice.

    Having a defensive pick in hand, the Blackhawks need to be careful not to expect too much right away. Defensive picks are tricky and need a lot of development.

    If a defenseman is picked, he most likely won’t be an impact player right away. Blackhawks fans probably won’t seem him until the following season, where help will be much more than needed, but demanded, considering Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be in their 30s and Duncan Keith will be reaching 38 years old.

    We can never truly say what can happen. Rookie sensation Alex DeBrincat wasn’t expected to even crack the NHL lineup just yet, and he became the highest goal scorer on the 2017-18 team.

    All we can hope for is an honest impact player who will make a difference and make his name heard in Chicago down the line. W

    e’ve seen it with previous picks, so hopefully history continues it’s path of greatness.

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