The Chicago Blackhawks have won the draft lottery before, and they will be hoping to do it again tomorrow night.
The NHL draft is a time when teams can help reinvent themselves, while it definitely won’t drastically change the team in the short term, adding some good prospects will help propel the team into the future. The Chicago Blackhawks need to make this year’s draft count.
The top two picks at this year’s draft are eligible for the lottery this season. This is a change-up from years past when the top three picks were all a part of the lottery. Now to secure that one of the worst teams in the league gets a good draft pick, only the top two are a part of the event.
The Blackhawks got Kirby Dach with the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft, so you can see how this will influence certain teams moving forward. That worst team can get a top-three pick pretty easily now which is a step up.
So, tomorrow night is the 2021 draft lottery, here is where the Blackhawks’ chances sit at this time in relation to the entire 16 teams apart of the event:
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Buffalo Sabres -16.6
Anaheim Ducks -12.1
Seattle Kraken – 10.3
New Jersey Devils -10.3
Columbus Blue Jackets – 8.5
Detroit Red Wings -7.6
San Jose Sharks – 6.7
Los Angeles Kings – 5.8
Vancouver Canucks – 5.4
Ottawa Senators – 4.5
Arizona Coyotes – 3.1
Chicago Blackhawks – 2.7
Calgary Flames – 2.2
Philadelphia Flyers – 1.8
Dallas Stars – 1.4
New York Rangers – 1.0
2.7 percent chance at getting a top pick. Yes, those odds are not great, but crazier things have happened before. Knowing the NHL’s luck the Rangers will get the first overall pick again despite having a one percent chance.
Even if the Blackhawks do not get a top pick, they still have a good chance of getting a pick near 11th overall. Should the teams that win the lottery be above them on the list (teams with better odds) then the Hawks will be drafting 11th overall when considering that Arizona has to forfeit their pick in this year’s draft.
Chicago probably won’t get an instant game-changer with their pick, but they will be able to grab someone that can help a few years down the road like Lukas Reichel, or they can use the pick to help get rid of a contract like Brent Seabrook‘s.
A lot of great playoff hockey on the past few weeks, and while Wednesday’s draft lottery might not be as exciting, it does influence the future makeup of the team!