CHICAGO – They would have needed a lot of luck to keep it thanks to a deal made with the Blue Jackets last summer.
Unless the Blackhawks were able to get into the Top 2 of the 2022 NHL Draft Lottery, their first round pick for this year was headed to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade made last summer.
Indeed, the team didn’t have the luck in the lottery, as they’ll have to wait a year to make their own selection in the first round.
In Tuesday’s lottery, the Blackhawks remained at the spot they arrived in, holding the sixth pick in the draft as they failed to move up. That means that the Blue Jackets will get their pick and the Blackhawks will keep theirs for 2023, which could have better odds to get a top pick since the team will be in a full rebuild.
Had the team moved up into the Top 2, the Blackhawks would have kept the pick this year and Columbus would get their top pick for 2023.
“Now we know where we stand as we prepare for the upcoming draft,” said general manager Kyle Davidson in a statement from the team. “We won’t have our own first-round pick, but with eight other picks—including five in the first three rounds—I have faith in our amateur scouting department’s ability to make the most out of our selections this summer.”
Currently, the Blackhawks have eight total picks for the NHL Draft:
- A conditional first round pick from the Wild in the Marc-Andre Fleury trade
- Their original second round pick
- Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, and Oilers third round picks
- Blue Jackets’ sixth round pick
- Their original sixth round pick
- Their original seventh round pick
The 2022 NHL Draft will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal on July 7th and 8th.
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