The Weekly Macklin Celebrini Watch: Chicago Blackhawks Barely Leading In The Race For Best NHL Draft Lottery Odds

The Chicago Blackhawks are getting tired of losing but if it means getting the chance to draft another generational talent with the No. 1 overall pick, it will have been worth it.

Currently, the Blackhawks are clinging to a one-point lead over the San Jose Sharks in the Tankathon.com/NHL standings.

Both teams are in the middle of a six-game winless streak although the Hawks picked up a point in the standings with an overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday to tie the Sharks with 35 points. The Hawks still have this slim lead thanks to the Sharks losing in a shootout to the Dallas Stars. It would have been nice to see the Sharks win the shootout and pick up two points, but settling for one is fine when it comes to the tanking standings.

For the second consecutive week, the Hawks head into this week clinging to this small lead over the Sharks.

Is there a chance for the Blackhawks to get some room in the standings from the Sharks?

Yes, since the Chicago Blackhawks play three road games this week. The Blackhawks have not won on the road since early November of 2023. Think about it, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Martin Luther King Jr., and Presidents Day have passed since then. The Hawks have to go to Colorado on Monday where the Avalanche blew out the Blackhawks last Thursday.

The Hawks have to travel to Arizona to play the Coyotes to finish up a back-to-back. That means there is a chance Arvid Soderblom starts in goal for the Hawks. That usually means Chicago will give up at least four goals. Even if Soderblom does not start, the Blackhawks will be returning to the Mullett Arena where they got crushed 8-1 in late October.

The Blackhawks then finish up the road trip with a Saturday matchup against the Washington Capitals. The Caps are 6-2-2 over their past 10 games and are trying to keep their Wild Card hopes alive.

The Sharks meanwhile have four games this week.

They finish up a road back-to-back against Minnesota tonight. The Wild are eight points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference Wild Card spot. Minnesota has lost three straight.

The Sharks then return home for a three-game homestand. They host the Stars on Tuesday, The New York Islanders on Thursday, and then wrap up the homestand against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The Stars are still sitting atop the Central Division. The Islanders are chasing the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. So the Sharks have three games where picking up a victory or a tie is going to be tough.

They have an excellent chance to get two points in the standings when the Senators come to town. Ottawa is in the middle of a four-game losing skid and is 3-6-1 over the past 10 games. The Senators are currently in the sixth spot in the NHL Lottery Draft standings. That game will be Ottawa's wrap-up to a four-game road trip with three of them coming on the West Coast. It will also be the Senators' third game in four days.

That is a prime game for the Sharks to win and pick up two points.

Can the San Jose Sharks get worse at the NHL Trade Deadline?

Yes, they can. Unlike the Blackhawks, the Sharks have players that contenders will want.

Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, defenseman Mario Ferraro, forwards Anthony Duclair, Mike Hoffman, Alexander Barabanov, and Kevin Labanc, along with center Mikael Granlund all could be traded before the March 8th deadline. Although Barabanov is currently injured.

Trading away all those players allows the Sharks to be like the Blackhawks after last year's deadline when the Hawks barely won.

While the Hawks did not end up with the best odds for Connor Bedard after trading away the bulk of the roster, it did help make sure Chicago would be in the top three.

Also, there were a lot of terrible teams last year trying to tank for Bedard. This year it is the Hawks and the Sharks who are truly awful. San Jose trading away players would not crash the team down in the standings like with what happened to the Hawks last year.

The Sharks are only better than the Blackhawks and no one else. The Blackhawks had enough talent last year where it got to the point that everyone was afraid they were winning too much.

This would not be the case for the Sharks this year.