Chicago Blackhawks will have 8th pick in NHL draft
Unlike 2007, luck was not on the Blackhawks' side Saturday night.
The NHL unveiled the results of its draft lottery in Toronto, and the Hawks - with a 20.4 percent chance to move into the top three - instead dropped a spot, from seventh to eighth.
Buffalo, which had the best chance to win the top pick, did indeed win the lottery. Carolina (previously 11th) moved up to No. 2, and Montreal (previously fourth) moved up to No. 3.
The Nos. 4-7 picks belong to Ottawa, Arizona, Detroit and Vancouver.
The draft will be in Dallas on June 22 and 23.
The Hawks were hoping to defy the odds - as they did 11 years ago when the moved up from No. 5 to No. 1 and ended up taking Patrick Kane - but it was not to be.
Still, general manager Stan Bowman will have the opportunity to improve the Hawks in a draft the Sporting News believes is so deep that there will be "first-round quality prospects well into the late stages of the second round."
The Hawks have eight picks - two in the first round, two in the third and one each in Rounds 4-7. Their other first-round pick was acquired from Nashville in the Ryan Hartman trade. Where that pick falls will be based on how far the Predators advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Most pundits believe 18-year-old Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will be the top pick. He has been compared with Bobby Orr, and his "passing ability and puck-control techniques are unique for a defender of any era," according to the Sporting News.
Neck-and-neck with Dahlin, however, is Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov. The 6-foot-2, 186-pounder racked up 40 goals in 44 games in the OHL this season. The Sporting News believes he has the potential to be the next Alex Ovechkin or Patrik Laine.
Both Dahlin and Svechnikov will almost certainly play big roles next season on the Sabres and Hurricanes, assuming of course, they are taken 1-2.
There have been plenty of busts at No. 8 over the last 15 years, but some of the better selections include:
• In 2011, Philadelphia selected Sean Couturier, who has 101 goals and 166 assists in 498 games.
• In 2008, Phoenix took Mikkel Boedker (109G, 179A in 618 GP). He's now with the Sharks.
• In 2005, San Jose selected Devin Setoguchi (131G, 130A in 516 GP). He's now with the Kings.
• In 2003, Atlanta grabbed D-man Braydon Coburn. He has played in 850 games and reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Flyers in 2010 and the Lightning in 2015.