Five questions for the Hawks heading into the 2026 NHL Draft

Posted May 12, 2026 3:02 pm

By Scott Powers and Corey Pronman

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson will assemble his hockey operations department this week to discuss the 2026 NHL Draft.

Davidson has had many talks with his draft people, especially director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey, throughout the season, but they now know exactly where they’re slotted to draft after coming out of the lottery with the No. 4 pick.

The Blackhawks feel as if they’re going to get a quality player there, but this draft isn’t as simple as their last three. They knew they were taking Connor Bedard at No. 1 in 2023. They were torn between Artyom Levshunov and Ivan Demidov at No. 2 in 2024, but that was only deciding between two players. Last year, they drafted Anton Frondell, who they had assumed would be there for them at No. 3.

The Blackhawks will be talking about all their 2026 draft picks this week, but a lot of their focus will undoubtedly be on that first one. Here are five questions they probably need to discuss at length:

What does their best-player-available board look like now?

The Blackhawks are high on the best forwards available. Like everyone, they see the high-end offensive potential of Gavin McKenna’s vision and skill. He and Bedard could be something special together. Right along with McKenna is Ivar Stenberg. He skates and competes like a lot of players Davidson has taken but also has more offense than a lot of the Chicago prospects. Either player could probably be at the top of their board and likely fits into a wing spot as soon as next season.

After McKenna and Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra has probably played himself into the third spot on the Blackhawks’ board. They’ve had eyes on him all season with two prospects already on Brantford’s team and love his size, intelligence and versatility. His offense soared the last few months, too. He has the potential of playing wing or pushing someone else out at center. There is also a chance the Blackhawks eventually have Malhotra second on their board. A year ago, they kept moving Frondell up their board and would have considered drafting him over Michael Misa if they had to make that choice.

After the three forwards, the Blackhawks like a lot of the defensemen that everyone else likes. Carson Carels, Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff are likely the fourth, fifth and sixth players on their board in some order. They’ll probably be watching how defenseman Alberts Smits looks playing against pros at the upcoming World Championship, too; he could enter the conversation. They’d probably lean toward Carels initially because he’s a left-handed shot. With the Blackhawks strongly believing in what Levshunov and Sam Rinzel, both righties, can become as top-four defensemen, they could look to upgrade their left side.

What will the teams do ahead of them?

The Blackhawks have three teams ahead of them in the draft, which is June 26-27. At No. 1, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to take McKenna. It’s not definite, but that is the thought among most experts.

The draft can go a lot of ways from there. At No. 2, the San Jose Sharks could use an elite defenseman, at least on paper. Reid could be a power-play quarterback defenseman for them. Again, that pick makes sense, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the Sharks took one of the best available forwards either. Stenberg would bolster what the Sharks already have in their forward pipeline.

If the Sharks take Reid or another defenseman, that likely leaves Stenberg or Malhotra for the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks could use a player with No. 1 center potential and Malhotra fits that need best, even if not every scout is convinced he can be a true 1C in the NHL. If Malhotra is gone, the Canucks likely consider Stenberg.

Who could be left from their board at No. 4?

There’s little clarity. McKenna is probably gone by then. As the draft’s top center, Malhotra may be gone, too. There’s a chance Stenberg is there at No. 4, but that can’t be banked on. All three forwards could go first, second and third. The Blackhawks have to be prepared for that. The best player available on their board might just be a defenseman.

Are they really OK with drafting a defenseman?

Davidson has stated he’s fine with taking a forward or defenseman at No. 4. That may be true. He may just have to live with however the draft plays out and select the next best available player on his board, especially given that Levshunov and Kevin Korchinski, a No. 7 pick in 2022, aren’t absolutes and have had bumpy development paths so far.

But if the Blackhawks’ draft board has three forwards at the top and they love those players much more than any of the defensemen, Davidson might have to see if there’s a way to ensure he can draft one of them. He was aggressive in pursuing a second top-four draft pick in 2024 and nearly convinced the Columbus Blue Jackets to trade their pick. The Blackhawks liked Levshunov and Demidov enough to attempt that. Does Davidson view the forwards at the top of this draft similarly?

What would it take to move up in the draft?

For one, Davidson was right in saying these types of trades rarely happen. The closest thing to what the Blackhawks would be looking to do is a 2008 trade where the New York Islanders acquired the No. 5 pick from the Leafs for the No. 7 overall pick, a third-round pick and a second-rounder the following year.

The Leafs likely aren’t trading No. 1. If the Sharks are thinking they’d prefer one of the defensemen, they could take the risk of falling two spots, especially if the return is good. That trade could probably be made before the draft. The Canucks might only consider a trade after they’ve seen what the Leafs and Sharks do.

The Blackhawks would obviously have to give up their top pick in any trade scenario. They can add to that package with a combination of their three 2026 second-rounders and their three 2027 first-round picks. Based on PuckPedia’s draft pick value calculator, the Sharks’ No. 2 pick would be worth about as much as the Blackhawks’ No. 4, a 2027 first-round pick between 17 and 32 (which would probably be the Edmonton Oilers’ pick), and the Blackhawks’ 2026 third-round pick.

Again, a trade might not be realistic, but it might be worth the Blackhawks’ time to explore.