These Three Things Can Mess up the Chicago Blackhawks’ Chances To Land the No. 1 Overall Pick Again

The Chicago Blackhawks have lost seven of their last ten while the San Jose Sharks have won three straight. What that means is the Hawks are now back at the top of the Tankathon.com/NHL standings giving the team the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick again.

This year's prize for winning the NHL Draft Lottery is Boston University's Macklin Celebrini. He is regarded as a generational talent just like Connor Bedard was in last year's draft.

Before you go and start fantasizing about the Blackhawks adding another rookie phenom, you should know a couple of things that could keep that from becoming a reality...

Teams behind the Blackhawks could trade off assets before the NHL trade deadline much like the Hawks did last year.

The Hawks traded away Patrick Kane, Max Domi, and any other player that could fetch the franchise a draft pick before last season's March 2nd trade deadline. The result was the Blackhawks won just five games the rest of the season.

The Blackhawks do not have much to trade away this go around, so it is not like they can tank on purpose. Other teams can trade away assets to help their tank odds.

The Sharks have three players in the Athletic's top 30 possible players available on the trade market (subscription required). Calgary could get significantly worse if they move Elias Lindstrom, Chris Tanev, and Noah Hanifrin. Montreal might also have a fire sale to send their season into a tailspin.

The Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets are nipping at the Hawks' heels in the tank standings. They can trade away some players that could make them even worse too.