The Blackhawks will have to deal with speculation regarding 1st-round pick Mason West

The Blackhawks took a gamble on Mason West in more ways than one.

The Hawks traded back into the first round of last month's draft to take the hulking forward with No. 29 overall pick. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson admitted he wanted to roll the dice on a hunch that West is going to be a great NHL player.

West has major boom-or-bust potential.

He is massive at 6-foot-6 with good skating ability and excellent vision. He gets that vision from being an elite high school quarterback. The bust ability comes from still being raw, and the speculation he can still choose to play football.

West is a standout prep quarterback at Edina High School in Minnesota. West has said his future is in hockey. That has not dissuaded some college teams.

College football programs are still interested in changing West's mind.

According to the Athletic's Blackhawks beat writer Scott Powers, college football programs are still trying to recruit him.

Powers talked with West's high school coach, Jason Potts, who confirmed that programs are still making inquiries.

West is committed to playing his senior football season. Once the season is over, the plan is for him to go play for the USHL's Fargo Force, where he will focus on hockey full-time.

He is committed to play at Michigan State next year on a hockey scholarship. You can be sure some Michigan State fans will be calling for him to join the team the moment a major injury at quarterback or defeat hapens.

The Hawks will just have to deal with that speculation.

Potts did say West has not thrown for any major programs and seems committed to playing hockey once the football season ends.

West even talked with controversial Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden on his Barstool show about his commitment to hockey over football.

The Blackhawks are reportedly fine with him playing one more year of high school football. The chances of him getting severely injured are just as good in the USHL as they are on a Minnesota high school football field.

Both are contact sports.

It is good that the Hawks are not sweating a potential injury.

What they will need to sweat out is the draw of college football and the NIL money that comes along with being a college quarterback. College QBs are getting millions. He could potentially make more playing one season of college football than he can on his NHL entry-level contract.

He can still draw NIL dollars playing college hockey. Also, he is already an NHL first-round pick with a chance to have a pro career. An NFL future is a huge unknown, so it makes sense for him to take the better odds of being a professional hockey player.

That still does not mean the draw of playing college football will go away. It will probably not go away until West signs his entry-level deal.