Blackhawks' trade clock ticking as NHL draft nears
This is the time of year — just a week and a half after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup — when cities like Edmonton and Buffalo are teeming with excitement.
That's because the Oilers and Sabres are about to draft what most believe will be two game-changing superstars in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
Edmonton holds the first pick Friday night and is expected to take McDavid, an 18-year-old center who was named the Ontario Hockey League MVP after piling up 120 points in just 47 games. Buffalo is next and will likely take Eichel, also a center. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player while with Boston University.
As for the Hawks, general manager Stan Bowman is working to shed salary and likely trying to move big-money players such as Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell.
“It's still early,” Bowman said Wednesday. “Those things typically heat up as you get closer and closer to the draft.”
That being the case, the talks should really start to sizzle in the coming hours with first-round selections set to start in Sunrise, Fla., at 6 p.m. Friday. The second through seventh rounds will take place Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.
The Hawks have seven picks, with the first coming in the second round (54th overall). Senior Director of Scouting Mark Kelley said he's not worried about having to adjust if Bowman trades Sharp, Bickell or another player and the Hawks end up with a first-round selection.
“We go through a whole process of putting an order together,” Kelley said. “So if we get a pick, no matter where it is, we're prepared.”
Kelley classified this draft class as “very strong” and having “very good depth … throughout the whole seven rounds.”
Recent history shows the Hawks can find strong players at any point. Budding superstar Brandon Saad was taken with the 43rd overall pick in 2011, Niklas Hjalmarsson was a fourth-rounder in 2005, Marcus Kruger a fifth-rounder in 2009 and Andrew Shaw was also a fifth-rounder in 2011.
Unlike the NFL and NBA, most early picks need to play at least a couple of seasons in college or in one of the major junior hockey leagues in Canada before making the jump to their pro team.
Right winger Ryan Hartman, whom the Hawks took in the first round in 2013, is a good example. He played for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons, spent most of last year with the Rockford IceHogs, and will compete for a spot on the Hawks' roster at training camp in September.
Another example is Stephen Johns, a defenseman the Hawks took in the second round in 2010. After four years at Notre Dame, he was in Rockford last season for 51 games. Like Hartman, he is expected to push for a roster spot.
“I'm excited for next year,” Bowman said. “We've got some young guys who are ready for bigger roles.”
Kelley said Wednesday that once the first 15 picks are off the board, it helps set up how the second round will unfold.
“So when our pick comes up in the second round, there's a lot of factors that will play in,” Kelley said. “Obviously (those being) talent, best available, but also team needs … and how they fit into the team depth chart.”
With Johnny Oduya all but gone and Brent Seabrook set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, it wouldn't be surprising to see the defensive-minded Hawks go with a blue-liner first.
The Hawks' other picks are at Nos. 91 overall, 121, 151, 164, 181 and 211.