Blackhawks stand to clean up by trading 2026 1st round pick

Chatter is picking up regarding the possibility of the Chicago Blackhawks trading their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

With the Blackhawks boasting an overflowing prospect pipeline and enough cap space to lure a solid free agent or two, their 2026 first-rounder no longer seems like a necessity. It’s the sort of pick the club could parlay into a hefty return.

That’s why the Blackhawks stand to clean up by trading their 2026 first-rounder.

So, what would the return on that first-rounder look like?

That depends on several factors. Firstly, it would depend on the club attempting to acquire the pick. While there would be the possibility of a team looking to trade up, the most immediate candidate would be a club with a distressed asset to move.

One team I keep coming back to is the Dallas Stars. They have a hot potato on their hands with Jason Robertson. The 45-goal scorer is a UFA and looking to cash in. The Stars would love to keep him, but they just can’t afford to do so.

It would seem reasonable that a trade conversation between the Blackhawks and Stars could begin with Robertson going one way and the fourth-overall pick going the other.

Such a move would give the Blackhawks the scoring winger Connor Bedard needs to roll with. Plus, Chicago would have the cap space to pull off such a deal. PuckPedia projects that the Blackhawks have about $40 million in cap space heading into next season.

Why not spend a chunk of that on a scorer like Robertson?

Blackhawks could find a partner in a team looking to move up

Then, there’s the possibility of another team looking to move up. For example, a team like the St. Louis Blues, that has three first-rounders, could look to weaponize that abundance of picks to move up.

The Blackhawks could send St. Louis the fourth pick in exchange for the 11th, 15th, and 31st picks. For St. Louis, the move would allow them to bring in an impact layer to further their rebuild.

For Chicago, three additional first-rounders would give the club more opportunities to draft solid prospects to complement the abundance of high-end talent.

Another intriguing possibility is the Calgary Flames. The Flames have two first-rounders and four second-rounders in the 2026 NHL Draft. In particular, Calgary holds the sixth pick. Trading down from fourth to sixth wouldn’t be a big deal. Plus, the Flames could throw in a couple of those second-rounders to grease the wheels.

Such a move would make sense for Calgary if the player they covet wouldn’t be on the board by #6. For Chicago, it’s just a matter of getting more lottery tickets, hoping to find even more serviceable NHLers for the club’s long-term outlook.

All told, all of these possibilities are just skimming the wavetops. There could be other deals out there we haven’t thought of. There might be a team completely out of the first round, like the Detroit Red Wings, that might want to make a splash.

The likelihood of this sort of trade happening will come down to a draft-day move. It could even come down to an announcement happening while the Blackhawks are on the clock.

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