3 potential options for the Chicago Blackhawks if they trade up from the 20th overall pick

After the results of the NHL Draft Lottery, the Chicago Blackhawks' first pick is set in stone at 2nd overall, giving General Manager Kyle Davidson arguably his toughest draft decision yet.

The consensus seems as though the selection will be either Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov or Ivan Demidov of SKA-1946 St. Petersburg in the MHL. Either of the two players would give the Blackhawks another high-end prospect that will become an important part of their rebuild.

However, the debate won't stop there as many will wonder who the team will select with their additional first-round pick.

For the second year in a row, the Blackhawks own the Tampa Bay Lightning's first-round selection, after acquiring both picks in return for Brandon Hagel at the 2022 trade deadline. Last year saw the Lightning's pick land at 19th overall where the Blackhawks selected speedy center Oliver Moore, who quickly became one of the team's best prospects.

This year will be very similar, with Tampa's selection being 20th overall after their first-round playoff exit against the Florida Panthers.

The 2024 draft is not as strong as 2023, which leaves the possibility of the Blackhawks using that 20th overall selection to move up in the first round. Kyle Davidson has shown in his previous two drafts that he is more than willing to trade up to get the player he desires.

In 2022, he did so by trading Alex Debrincat and Kirby Dach for top-15 picks, then again by flipping the 38th selection to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the 25th pick and Petr Mrazek. He also tried moving up from 19th last year to draft Moore, who fell to the Blackhawks anyway after teams wouldn't budge on any trade offers.

The Blackhawks have the assets to move up, with many draft picks spread out over the next three drafts. Davidson was also vocal about taking the next step, and utilizing those draft picks for a player the team feels strongly about would give them another top prospect sooner to make the jump rather than stockpiling picks.

TSN's Bob McKenzie and Craig Button, along with The Athletic's Corey Pronman, have recently submitted their mock drafts and lottery draft rankings which show some high-profile players possibly falling into the 10-13 range.

These are three players the Blackhawks could target if they want to trade up from 20th overall...