Chicago Blackhawks can 'dictate what's next' at No. 2 overall, Kyle Davidson says

Fox 32 Flight Club: United Center

Fox 32’s drone pilots take you in the air for a unique look at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Chicago Blackhawks knew this year was going to be a little different.

They were blessed with the No. 1 overall pick when the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery went their way. That landed Connor Bedard in Chicago.

"I think people knew the answer and they didn't call," Davidson said.

The Hawks didn't get the No. 1 overall pick this year. But, they got the next best thing, literally. Chicago landed the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday.

That gives Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson a chance to control the 2024 NHL Draft.

"We likely know where number one is going," Davidson said. "We kind of dictate what's next. And so that's exciting."

The lottery came down to the San Jose Sharks, the team with the highest probability at No. 1 overall, and the Blackhawks, the team with the second-highest odds.

No. 1 will likely be Boston University center Macklin Celebrini. After that, it's wide open. It allows the Blackhawks to take their player and force the rest of the draft to react to their selections.

When announcing the No. 1 overall pick, it's only fair the Hawks front office had a wave of nostalgia.

When it wasn't No. 1 for Chicago, that still didn't damper the mood.

"I had a little flashback to last year," Davidson said. "But that's the way it went and that's totally fine."

The reason why it's fine for Davidson is because the Blackhawks' pipeline is already filled with plenty of prospects on the brink of being NHL players.

That allows Chicago to decided if they want to pick the player that best fits the Chicago Blackhawks, or if they want to pick the best player available.

To Davidson, he won't look at how NHL-ready the prospect is. It needs to be a player that can best benefit the Blackhawks, be it by being the best player available or by being the best fit for the team.

"We've done a really exciting job establishing depth in our prospect pool," Davidson said. "That's important. We want a lot of guys coming up and competing for spots."

The Blackhawks will have their discussions. Those conversations will be lengthy, too.

But the team knows how they want those conversations to take place.

"You go for the player you think is going to be that much better, that is the highest ceiling," Davidson said. "There's also weight of risk and predictability and ceiling versus floor and those discussions. But, I think for the most part, especially at number two, you're probably looking at similar across the board in terms of time to the NHL and ceiling. We'll kind of debate those things, but I don't necessarily think speed to the NHL comes into play."

The important thing for the Blackhawks is the ability to add a foundational piece.

The cornerstone was built last year. Luck landed Bedard in Chicago.

Now, it's beyond Bedard.

"This is about building a team," Davidson said. "It's always been about building a team and not just one player."