How is the 2024 NHL Draft Shaping Up with the Season Almost Over (Lottery Mock)?

9. Sabres - LW Tij Iginla (Once a 2nd round thought, Iginala has had an outstanding season and has really boosted his draft stock. The Flames could certainly select him, however his range is likely in the 8-13 range at this point.)

10. Devils - F Konsta Helenius (No one thought that New Jersey would select this high, least of all the Devils. With a talented roster and prospect pool already in hand, a player like Helenius that projects as a high floor, dependable, and position flexible forward could be the pick here.)

11. Kraken - RD Zayne Parekh (Parekh is one of the wildcards in the draft as his offensive skill traits merit a pick inside the top 6 or 7 selections. His drawbaks on defense / average size though make him a mid first round graded player. More than likely a pick in the middle will commence and a team like Seattle would be an absolute perfect fit.)

12. Flyers - F Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (Good sized and tough player with a high IQ to be a really good middle 6 two way player quickly. While there are some better names on the board, MBN will quickly endear to any fanbase that is a fan of a reliable forward that should be quick to the NHL.

13. Wild - LW Cole Eiserman (It's all about his shot. That's all you hear. After diving deeper than you hear and see on the footage a player that "disappears" for large stretches of the game you start to see why his stock is down. He is unlikely to be a top 10 pick at this point, but a team like Minnesota with defensively dependable forwards already in tow could nestle in a spot for Eiserman to do what he does best.)

14. Red Wings - LD Zeev Buium (Chalk this one up to the "we drafted brothers" conversation. Zeev however is the better prospect at the same stage and represents a different type of defender than even Seider or Edvinsson. While Detroit took Sandin-Pelllikka a year ago, Buium is a better passer (opinion) at the same juncture. There is also the management side of this where the best player on the board now becomes an asset moving forward (or one of the other young defenders do in the pipeline). If this was the way the board fell, Detroit would likely move this pick for a 2nd and a pick in the late teens (to select say Igor Chernyshov).

15. Sharks (from Penguins) - RW Liam Greentree (With Lindstrom and Smith now down the middle, adding in a good sized goalscorer on the right side is going to become a big need. Greentree in a lesser draft could be inside the top 10. This is likely the area he will go however and the Sharks would be wise to select him.)

16. Blues - LW Andrew Basha - (Fast and clever, Basha has gone from a hard working 3rd liner to goal scoring annoyance to most WHL foes. The skating is incredible, and while only sporting average size, Basha plays a hard nosed game that could make him a lottery pick at this point.)

Special Selection: 22. Blackhawks - F Luke Misa (While commonly mocked in the 25-40 range, Misa represents alot of what the Blackhawks' brass is targeting. Namely skating, puck skill, and finishing ability. Misa looks like a player that could slot in at most forward positions and has 81 points in 66 games for Mississauga in the OHL this year.). Players of size in this draft range are mostly "darts at a board" whereas Misa is more likely to be an NHL contributor over a longer period of play.

To summarize: While it's not ideal to miss out on the top 3 picks, the Hawks will still acquire a great player in this upcoming draft. Could the lottery picks in the first round play out this way? Perhaps. but right now this appears to be the way the players are trending. Blackhawk Up for one believes that Kyle Davidson will select the 2 players in the first round that best help this young team progress back towards not only a playoff run but ultimately towards a championship roster for the decade ahead. As Davidson said, "Hop on the ride now".

Could the Blackhawks lean towards selecting Sam Dickinson?