By drawing the ping pong ball for the 6th spot in the 2022 NHL draft, the Blackhawks automatically transfer that pick to the Blue Jackets to complete the arguably infamous Seth Jones-Adam Boqvist trade from last summer and retain the 2023 1st round pick instead.
For the 2022 draft, the Hawks have the following picks:
* 2 picks in the 2nd round
* 3 picks in the 3rd round
* 2 picks in the 6th round
* 1 pick in the 7th round
The 2nd rounder acquired in the Marc-Andre Fleury trade to the Wild will upgrade to a 1st if certain playoff conditions are met. Similarly, the 3rd rounder obtained in the Duncan Keith trade to the Oilers will upgrade to a 2nd if certain conditions are met.
As the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been under way, the Wild are down 3 games to 2 against the Blues so chances are slipping for the Hawks to have that 2nd rounder convert into a 1st. Regardless, there are other ways to recoup a 1st rounder in this summer's draft.
Of course, the primary method is via trade. The question, though, is who exactly would bring back a 1st rounder in a deal and would there be any teams willing to pony that up. There sure would be if the player going the other way is Patrick Kane or Alex DeBrincat.
The chances of that seem slim to none as Kane would need to waive his no movement clause while DeBrincat is a youngster who is at the front end of his prime years and could be one to build around. But if either are on the block, each could garner multiple 1sts.
Jonathan Toews and Jones would each be quite tough to move. Salary retention plus an additional sweetener may be necessary in order to gain a favorable return. Although the cost could be too much for the Hawks to part with, Jones has the greater likelihood to snag a 1st.
The resurrected Dylan Strome probably wouldn't get a 1st in a trade but anything is possible with some general managers in the league especially those who are desperate and believe the former 3rd overall pick has truly turned the corner for the better.
Then there's Kirby Dach. On the one hand, it's still too early to give up on him as he could just be scratching the surface to at least be a very good 2nd liner. But on the other hand, there could be other teams willing to exchange a 1st for Dach.
And a final scenario is packaging any one of the multiple 1st round picks that the Hawks have in 2023 and 2024 along with other picks from later rounds and/or a prospect or two in order to add a 2022 1st rounder back into the selection cart for the draft.
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Blackhawks Notebook
Seth Jones will captain Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Finland. His younger brother Caleb and forward teammate Sam Lafferty will also represent the Blackhawks for the U.S. Former goalie prospect Matt Tomkins will represent Team Canada.
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Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago
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