The Chicago Blackhawks are likely to Draft a Defenseman in the 2024 Draft

When looking at this year's results on the ice it's easy to want to quickly transition to draft discussion. That is the exciting part of any rebuild afterall, the hope that comes with each draft pick and in particular any player selected high in the 1st round. Connor Bedard, Oliver Moore, Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel, and Frank Nazar are all showing great early returns in Kyle Davidson's short tenure as a shrewd drafting general manager.

One thing has been a constant thus far though with Davidson, that he is going to likely draft the best player on the board when he selects. Whether that means getting the player that has unexpectedly fallen (Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar), the player that represents the highest upside on the board (Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel) or the obvious pick (Connor Bedard). This leads to the next draft and how we can all use this history in trying to see which direction the Blackhawks may go in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Before diving into said 2024 draft class though it's important to look ahead at 2025 and 2026. With 14 picks in the top 2 rounds over all 3 of these drafts, the Hawks will have no shortage of opportunities to add impact players to the organization.

What do the 2025 / 2026 Drafts offer that the 2024 class does not?