Ryan Greene's development is pivotal to the Blackhawks' benefitting from Marc-Andre Fleury trade

The Chicago Blackhawks never did get that first-round pick in the Marc-Andre Fleury trade. That is because the Minnesota Wild could not make the Western Conference Finals in 2022 after acquiring the future Hall of Fame goaltender.

Instead, the Blackhawks ended up with a second-round choice that turned out to be the No. 57 pick. The Hawks used that selection to take Ryan Greene.

While it was nice having Ryan Greene help the Blackhawks' prospect pool become highly regarded, he was not helping the team win like Fleury did the past three and a half seasons with the Wild.

Now that Greene has turned pro, the Blackhawks will see if they fully benefited from the 2022 trade.

Fleury helped the Wild make three playoff appearances. Now that the Wild have been eliminated from the playoffs, the legendary goaltender is hanging up the skates.

Greene's career is just getting started.

If he develops into a playmaking center that helps the Blackhawks make some noise in the playoffs, then the team will get the full benefits of a trade that both teams were hoping would be win-win.

Blackhawks former general manager Stan Bowman recklessly acquired Fleury during the 2021 offseason. It was reckless because the organization should have started the extensive rebuild the team is in now. Instead, Bowman made one last attempt to reopen a contention window that had long been slammed shut.

Trading Fleury before the 2022 trade deadline will always be considered good business, considering the team was going nowhere and needed to acquire as many premium draft picks as possible.

Now, the key is can the Blackhawks enjoy the benefits of the deal by seeing if Greene can develop into a great NHL player.

He certainly has the passing skills with 71 career assists at Boston University. Greene has also played with some elite talent during his time with the Terriers, including last year's No. 1 overall pick, Macklin Celebrini.

That elite playmaking ability could allow him to center the first or second line. Even if his floor is centering the third line, then the Blackhawks have a good chance of enjoying the benefits of this trade.