Chicago Blackhawks: A chance at the first overall pick exists
If the Chicago Blackhawks lose the “play in” series, a chance at the first pick is still there.
The players on the Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t care less about the Draft Lottery right now. Players always want to win and rightfully so. They want to defeat the Edmonton Oilers so they have a chance at the playoffs. It is a strange season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Draft Lottery is a no exception. There was something that happened during the drawing that shook the hockey would and could have some crazy effects for years to come.
The Draft Lottery drew names for the first three picks in the draft. The third overall pick is going to the Ottawa Senators, the second pick belongs to the Los Angeles Kings, and the first overall pick was won by a placeholder. That means that the teams that fail to advance past the play-in round will have a second drawing with equal odds.
That means that there is a chance that the Chicago Blackhawks earn the first overall pick. If they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in that series, they will be in the second wave of the lottery. As mentioned before, the players playing for their own careers do not care one bit and are going to try their very best to win as much as they can.
With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way on the other side, they definitely don’t want to lose because they see themselves as good enough to win the Cup. Nobody is saying that you should be rooting against your favorite team but whoever wins this pick is going to be a very happy team for a long time.
Alexis Lafreniere is a brilliant player that plays for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. He is going to be the first overall pick in the Draft to whoever claims this pick. If Chicago won this pick, he would immediately join their top-six forward group. He would also potentially even be their best player not named Patrick Kane (or maybe Jonathan Toews) right away. He would allow those two guys to ride off into the sunset by playing some great hockey down the stretch of their careers.
Hot. Marian Hossa chased that Stanley Cup around for a while. light
As mentioned before, nobody is going to actively root against their team. With that said, having a chance at Lafreniere could be more worth it than getting smoked by the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, or Dallas Stars in the first round. This is going to be very interesting to see how it plays out.