Examining the Chicago Blackhawks' chances of drafting a franchise player based on the recent No. 2 Overall Picks

The draft lottery balls have spoken... Ok bounced. Either way, the Chicago Blackhawks now know that they will be drafting 2nd overall in the 2024 draft. While many Blackhawks fans have reacted to missing out on getting the 1st overall selection with dismay, I am here to ease your troubled minds.

It would have been wonderful to have landed the top selection, and I am sure that Macklin Celebrini will be a wonderful player. However, recent 2nd overall selections in the NHL draft have generally been elite level players, and some even became franchise altering talents. In this article I will examine the past five 2nd overall picks in detail to predict the caliber of player that the Blackhawks can expect to draft.

2023: Leo Carlsson (55 games played, 12 goals and 17 assists, 29 points)

The most recent 2nd overall pick came in with tremendous hype and some notable pressure. You see, Carlsson was long projected before the 2023 draft to go 3rd overall, and was ranked as the 3rd best prospect after Connor Bedard and Adam Fantili. So how did Carlsson fare in his first season as a pro?

He was very impressive. Connor Bedard's incredible season may have moved the goal posts slightly on what a fantastic rookie season looks like. Being over half a point per game as a rookie, (on a terrible Anaheim team no less) is really exceptional. Carlsson has all the elite tools needed to catapult him into the discussion as one of the best players in hockey a few years from now. This was a home run of a pick, albeit with limited returns thus far.