Here is what to know about the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of the NHL Draft Lottery

The Chicago Blackhawks will find out where they are picking in the first round of the NHL Draft tonight. That is when the NHL Draft Lottery takes place, and the drawing will be live.

The NHL wants full transparency, and that is why everyone will see the ping-pong balls drawn live.

Here is what you need to know about the Blackhawks' chances of winning the No.1 overall pick...

The Blackhawks have the second-best odds of winning the No. 1 overall pick. They have a 13.5% chance of landing the top overall pick for the second time in three drafts.

The San Jose Sharks have the most ping-pong balls and the best odds after finishing with the worst record in the NHL.

Who is the prized player that every team is hoping to get with the No. 1 pick?

OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer is considered the consensus best player in the draft. It is also why it would not be terrible if the Blackhawks do not win the lottery since they have a lot of promising young defensive prospects.

The Hawks could win the No. 1 overall pick and take forward Michael Misa, who seems to be considered the top forward prospect in the draft. The Hawks could theoretically win the draft lottery and just take Misa at No. 1.

While Schaefer is very talented, he is not considered a generational talent like Connor Bedard or a near-generational talent like Macklin Celebrini was last year.

The Blackhawks could also trade the No. 1 overall pick if they win the lottery, but they would not want to move too far down.

Ideally, what is the best spot for the Hawks to pick with their first-round choice?

Picking second like they did last year would be great, as then they do not have to make the controversial choice of taking Misa over Schaefer. Sure, another team could pull a stunner and take Misa with the No. 1 overall pick.

Remember, each NHL team's draft boards matter more than, say, what the Athletic's Corey Pronman board looks like.

Many publications that specialize in the NHL Draft all feel Schaefer is the only prospect with All-Star talent, where everyone else in the top five projects to be a bubble All-Star to a solid player.

Unless Anaheim wins the lottery, most teams with the No. 1 overall pick usually end up matching what the prognosticators think.

Anaheim gets mentioned as a wrinkle, as in 2023 everyone thought Adam Fantilli would go second after Bedard and the Ducks took Leo Carlsson instead. Then in last year's draft it was believed Ivan Demidov was at least their second-best forward and when Chicago did not take him, Anaheim went with Brent Sennecke instead.

The Ducks always march to their own drummer, and that is an example of why the team's draft board is the ultimate deciding factor.

Picking third would feel like a near miss of getting Misa, who is the ideal talented bigger forward to skate alongside Bedard on the top line. That is why it be nice if they did not get that pick.

Fourth is the lowest possible pick the Hawks can have, and that would not be terrible, as they can have their choice of whoever is left over among the top four prospects. Although James Hagens is on the smaller side, he is faster than Porter Martone, so it would be kind of nice to have the slower Martone not be on the board.

Although Anton Frondell or Caleb Desnoyers are bigger forwards with skills that would be great at No. 4, too.

Don't the Blackhawks have another first-round pick this year?

Yes, they own the rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs pick. The Leafs are still alive in the playoffs, so that pick has yet to be determined. It is trending toward being late in the first round.

The Hawks project to have five picks in the top 70, with two second-round picks and their third-round choice.

Is there another reason the Hawks do not want to win the No. 1 pick?

Yes, if the Hawks win the NHL Draft Lottery for the second time in three years, they will be ineligible to win it in 2026 and 2027.

Now, the hope is that the Blackhawks use their vast cap space to acquire a top impact free agent like Mitch Marner. Maybe they also trade some of this draft capital to get another top-line player. Then, getting this pick correctly, the Hawks have a chance at accelerating the rebuild to where they exit the lottery territory in the standings.

Still, if the Blackhawks do not take a major step forward, it would be nice to have a shot at Gavin McKenna, the player every team hopes to tank for next season.