An early look at the Blackhawks needs for the 2024 NHL Draft

Right wingers will also be in high demand

Just as they need pure left wingers, you can say the same about right wingers. When it comes to the position, their best prospect is Lukas Reichel, whose NHL experience hasn’t gone as planned. Reichel, listed on Wheeler’s board as someone who can play center, left wing, and right wing, has seen 99 games of action with the Hawks, yet 32 points and 12 goals is not a good sign of progress. 

Reichel’s ice time also dropped, as did his overall productivity, going from 0.652 points per game in 2022-23 to just 0.246 in 2023-24. Nick Lardis is another winger who can play both sides, while Roman Kantserov is the only one listed as playing purely on the right in the top 15. 

This slide, and the previous slide, isn’t saying that it’s a bad idea to go after versatile players, as it’s always a good idea to have a few ranked highly in the prospects pool. But you always want a mixture of players who give you versatility and those who primarily play on just one end. 

Instead of a pure left winger, the Hawks could use their second first-rounder on a right winger if they feel that player will serve the organization well. If not, they still have five picks in the second and third rounds. 

So there is a good chance they will scoop up both positions of need if and when Kyle Davidson rightfully rolls with the best available in Round 1, and that best available is NOT a winger.