It would be reckless and misguided if the Blackhawks tried pursuing Leon Draisaitl

Before I get into why it would be reckless and misguided for the Blackhawks to acquire Leon Draisaitl, I first want to look at the blatant upsides. For one, one of the largest markets in the NHL would be bringing in perhaps the biggest name that could be on the move this offseason, and if that won’t turn heads around the league, nothing will. 

There’s also the fact that he would pair up with star forward Connor Bedard and take control of a young team looking to regain even the slightest relevance. Draisaitl would also make this team better overnight, even if his presence wouldn’t exactly lead to them becoming playoff contenders in 2024-25. 

But hey, at least Chicago would be winning games and should at least find themselves in outer orbit of those contending for a wild card if Draisaitl came to the Windy City. This means they wouldn’t necessarily be serious contenders to make the postseason, but they also wouldn’t be out of it by the All-Star Break. All of that said, acquiring Draisaitl would be a terrible idea in 2024-25, so general manager Kyle Davidson must resist any temptation to trade for him. 

Why am I even bringing this up? Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report listed the Blackhawks as a potential landing spot for Draisaitl, and Jenna Stumbaugh, also of Bleacher Report, gave us a few reasons outlining the risks of Draisaitl finishing out the final year of his contract in Edmonton. Because of those risks, a trade could more than be on the horizon for a forward who could be a star for any of the league’s other 31 teams. 

Trading for Leon Draisaitl would be a mistake for the Blackhawks

On paper, trading for Draisaitl would look like a massive win for the Blackhawks, as why wouldn’t they want one of the league’s top scorers? For one, this team is in a massive rebuilding phase, and Kyle Davidson needs to responsibly keep working on this team’s foundation around Connor Bedard, which has, at least early, been the plan. 

For another, while Draisaitl would improve this team back to the point of relevance in 2024-25 and most certainly as playoff contenders come 2025-26, the Blackhawks also need to look at everything from a long-term perspective. They’re landing a future star with the No. 2 pick, and there’s already a brilliant tandem brewing between Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. 

Chicago also has an incredible prospect pool, and one that also has more potential for long-term success than Draisaitl would give them, as he will turn 29 shortly after the puck drops to kick off the 2024-25 season. Not an advanced age, but he’s giving the Blackhawks an elite hockey player for five, maybe six years tops, and that’s beyond the massive contract they would need to keep him in town. 

Sticking to the current plan may be the longer view, but it’s also one that could set the Blackhawks up for success over the next decade or more instead of the next half-decade. Draisaitl’s presence would allow the Hawks to speed things up, but doing so would complicate the team’s long-term plans financially, and this could compromise a decade-plus window of success.