Maple Leafs Draft Lottery win changes Blackhawks' offseason landscape

When the Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, a lot of things changed in an instant. Getting the number one pick in any draft will change your franchise, but this couldn’t have happened at a better time for the Maple Leafs. Their draft lottery win also changed the landscape of the offseason across the NHL, which will affect the Chicago Blackhawks

It’s Not Rigged, But….

The NHL holds the draft lottery live on television to prevent conspiracy theories about it being rigged. However, the sequence of events this past week makes even the most level-headed fan want to grab his tin-foil hat and scream about magnets inside the ping-pong balls. The fact that they were one ball away from winning the second draw didn’t improve the optics either.

The Maples started their week by hiring John Chayka as their new general manager, a move that was met with skepticism, even from the most loyal fans. Monday’s introductory press conference went off the rails quickly when Chayka’s questionable past was challenged by veteran reporter Steve Simmons.

Just over 24 hours later, the Maple Leafs win the Draft Lottery and have Gavin McKenna fall into their lap, giving Chayka a honeymoon period he likely wouldn’t have had otherwise. He’s inheriting a team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs after years of postseason failure with an exciting young core. This is a franchise that has now won as many Draft Lotteries as playoff series in the last decade. A major retool was in the cards, and now they get a top-six forward on an entry-level contract for the next three seasons. That buys the new regime time before having to blow it all up.

Young forward Matthew Knies has had trade rumors swirling around him for months. Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported that captain Austin Matthews “still isn’t sure if he’ll be back in Toronto in the fall” the morning of the Draft Lottery. All that changed with the bounce of a ping-pong ball.

Tough Trade Market Gets Even Tougher

With free agency all but dead, this summer’s trade market should heat up. If Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson wants to add an impact player to help the Blackhawks reach the next level, it will have to come via a trade, as that player is not a free agent. But that’s the case for every team around the NHL.

"It feels like everyone is looking to add,” Davidson said on Tuesday. “Those are interesting waters to navigate when everyone's trying to do the same thing."

Now with Knies and Matthews likely coming off the trade block, that market became even more limited. There was no guarantee that either player would be moved this summer, but adding McKenna to their roster ensures they are staying put for the time being.

Davidson has been tied to Knies for quite some time. Back in 2022, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that a deal had been nixed by the Maple Leafs that would have sent Knies, Petr Mrazek, and first-round picks to the Blackhawks for Brandon Hagel and Marc-Andre Fleury. This past March, Elliotte Friedman said the Blackhawks were among the teams that showed “serious interest” in Knies at that trade deadline. It’s safe to say that he will not be wearing a Blackhawks sweater any time soon.

Tuesday night did not help Davidson’s offseason. Not only did he not land a top-two pick, though a path to Ivar Stenberg still exists, but one of his possible trade partners is now in win-now mode.

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