Draft lottery win could fast track Blackhawks rebuild

By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Midwesthockey.info
Just when it seemed Chicago Blackhawks fans were settling in for a multi-year rebuild, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly held up the team’s logo as the winners of the Draft Lottery.

As a result, the Hawks who officially wrapped up the Kane and Toews era this spring will begin the Connor Bedard era immediately.
It’s early to plan Stanley Cup parade routes and playoffs will likely be out of the question for at least a season or two, but Bedard will make his NHL debut in as the cornerpiece the team will be built around in the seasons to come.
They not only have Bedard playing at rookie maximum salary, but the departure of Kane and Toews frees up over $20 million in cap space. The rebuild has to move up by at least a season or two.,
Helping the Hawks along will be veteran forwards, Corey Perry, Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno added in trades around the time of the draft as well, Hall under contract until 2024-25 while Perry and Foligno both signed one year deals as free agents before July 1.
Their presence could be beneficial to Bedard and they might protect him a bit as well. They would likely be flipped for prospects or picks before the March Trade Deadline unless the team gets off to an unexpectedly strong run and finds itself in playoff contention.
As of July 12, the Hawks have signed 19 players of a 23-man roster. They still have nearly $18 million in available cap space and will likely add at least a couple defenders before camp starts in September.
For the NHL team, the lone non-signed player for the upcoming season is utility forward Philipp Kurashev, a Restricted Free Agent.