The Chicago Blackhawks have been blessed with an early offseason. When they went into the NHL’s Draft Lottery in May, they had no better than the third-best chance of getting the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.
Connor Bedard. A work of art. 🤌@BioSteelSports NHL CAMP pic.twitter.com/UiSxMvn0mW
– NHL (@NHL) August 30, 2023
But Lady Luck smiled on the Blackhawks, and when deputy commissioner Bill Daly finished making his announcements and displaying placards with team logos, the Blackhawks were awarded the No. 1 spot in the June draft.
As a result, the Blackhawks were able to draft Connor Bedard, widely regarded as the top prospect to enter the league since Connor McDavid. The Blackhawks certainly know they drafted a formidable talent, and they will be building their team around him for the foreseeable future.
Patience is the word
When it comes to team development, the Blackhawks organization preaches patience with their fan base. They don’t want fans to think that because they have Bedard that they will immediately return to elite status in the league.
That’s the view, but head coach Luke Richardson won’t ask his players to give anything but their best every night. While expectations aren’t high, teams find a way to produce surprising years every now and then, and that’s just what Richardson will try to get out of his players.
At the same time, he wants to make sure Bedard is in the best position to succeed. While the Blackhawks won’t be a one-man team, it’s clear that the rookie has a special talent for shooting and scoring. The Blackhawks really wanted to capitalize on that skill, and so they acquired former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins.
Hall is a fast businessman and a great skater. If he gets a chance to beat the defense with his speed and agility, there’s a good chance to set up Bedard for high-level scoring opportunities.
The Blackhawks may be interested in bringing in other players who could facilitate Bedard’s development.
Blackhawks trade prospects
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has shown that he is not afraid to make moves that he thinks will improve the team. That’s almost how a team with a lot of young players and is in the development stage.
The Blackhawks appear to be in a position to make moves throughout the season, including before the team’s season opener, Davidson and Richardson will see how the players look in training camp, and if any steps to be taken that will help either Bedard’s development or make the team stronger in the future, they will not hesitate to make the deal.
The most attractive trade prospect the Blackhawks have at this point might be defenseman Connor Murphy. He will likely be paired with Seth Jones, another solid defenseman, but Murphy may be a more attractive player to potential trade partners because he has a more reasonable salary than Jones.
The 30-year-old Murphy is a high-priced player in the $5.8 million per year, but Jones has $12.5 million coming into the 2023-24 season. Murphy spent 10 years in the league, including 4 with the Coyotes and 6 with the Blackhawks. He is a capable right-shot defenseman who will be valuable for any opposing team that may suffer an injury to its blue line crew during training camp.
Lukas Reichel and Andreas Athanasiou
In addition to Bedard, the Blackhawks have a couple of young players they are developing in Taylor Raddysh and Lukas Reichel. Raddysh’s numbers are in the same line as Bedard and Hall, and the Blackhawks are unlikely to trade him.
They also have hope that Reichel will be a productive left winger after he scored 7 goals and 8 assists in 23 games last season. The 21-year-old appears to have the potential to become a solid second-line scorer.
But, what if the training camp does not go well for him and the failure begins? Maybe another team will see that and make a legitimate offer for his services. If a talented young prospect can bring in a valuable veteran to help Bedard, it could be a trade to consider.
Another player to consider moving is veteran forward Andreas Athanasiou, who has long been one of the fastest players in the league. He scored 20 goals last year for the Blackhawks, and he might be the type of player that opposing teams consider adding to their lineup.