The Blackhawks were (potentially unwilling) participants in the NHL Draft Lottery tonight. They came into the annual event in the 12th spot after a late-season faux playoff run which did nothing but decrease their chances of moving up greatly.
The Colorado Avalanche, via the Ottawa Senators, came into the event with the best chance to take the first overall prize of U.S. National Development Program center Jack Hughes or big Finnish wing Kaapo Kakko thanks to last season’s trade of Matt Duchene. Duchene has been since traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both Columbus and Colorado qualified for the playoffs, while Ottawa decided to keep last year’s first round pick and took big power forward Brady Tkachuk, who had himself a solid 45-point (22 goals, 23 assists) rookie season.
Once the ping-pong balls dropped and the final lineup was announced, the Blackhawks moved all the way up to third overall. This will prove to be a very important draft year for the future of this team. The New Jersey Devils will pick first overall and the New York Rangers will pick second overall.
👀 pic.twitter.com/0xiRKWOVu6
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 10, 2019
Last season, the Blackhawks came into the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery as the seventh overall pick and left the building with the eighth overall selection. The story played out very well and they were able to select Swedish phenom Adam Boqvist with their pick.
When you already know that the NHL rigged the draft lottery for you #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/dKYp8Liyrm
— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) April 10, 2019