Should the Chicago Blackhawks trade up to draft this prospect?

The Chicago Blackhawks own the No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and the right to draft phenom Connor Bedard.

The Blackhawks also own the No. 19 pick in the first round, four second-round picks, and two selections in the third.

General manager Kyle Davidson has enough draft capital to move up in the first round to get a better prospect.

He is open to the idea because he feels the Chicago Blackhawks have way too many picks. Plus, Davidson does not want to be in a situation where he must eventually give a second contract to these prospects at the same time.

It is nice to have a general manager thinking about the long-term and the ramifications of the salary cap.

Davidson has the draft capital to move up a few spots but is it enough to move up into the draft’s top 10?

The Chicago Blackhawks could move up to draft this high-end prospect.

Russian winger Matvei Michkov is a consensus top-five prospect. The problem with Michkov is his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg does not expire until after the 2025-2026 season.

Columbus, San Jose, Montreal, Arizona, and Philadelphia might not want to wait that long for his services.

There was concern he would not even want to come over to the NHL but Michkov shot down that rumor.

One team that could take Michkov if he drops out of the top seven is the Washington Capitals. They have no problem taking on Russian players.

Alex Ovechkin will most likely be ready to call it a career once Michkov is ready to come over, so the Capitals could transition from one Russian star to another to be the face of the team.

The Chicago Blackhawks would probably need to jump ahead of the Capitals to get a shot at Michkov. It would be curious to see if one of the teams in front of Washington would want to trade back to 19 while picking up some extra picks in the second or third round.

The Chicago Blackhawks are guaranteed to get a generational talent in Connor Bedard. Being able to pair up Bedard with Michkov down the road would be the maximum return the Hawks could get out of the first round.

Michkov possesses a great wrist shot with great deception and creativity with the puck. One scout even felt Michkov was better than Bedard at one point in their development careers.

There are some who feel Michkov is a generational talent.

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Chicago Blackhawks Director of Scouting Mike Doneghey feels that only Bedard and Adam Fantilli are the only truly exceptional players in the draft but he does like the players at the top of the draft.

There are some who feel he is just a one-dimensional player. Being really good on offense is something the Blackhawks will need down the road.

If Bedard turns into a superstar center, he can be paired with Michkov in a few years to form a high-scoring top line.

Michkov eventually joining the team would be like when the Hawks brought Artemi Panarin in 2016 to pair up with Patrick Kane. They lit up the lamp on a nightly basis and a Bedard-Michkov led line would probably do the same.

Michkov checks most of the boxes when it comes to the four desired traits which are speed, competitiveness, hockey IQ, and character. The Hawks are looking for those in a prospect.

He is incredibly quick, especially around the net. Michkov went from playing selfishly to a more team concept during his late-season run with Sochi.

Every scout points out how he is very creative with the puck. The only thing he would have to prove at the NHL level is his competitiveness.

When Michkov is ready to come over in the 2026-27 season, he would probably not need to spend time in the AHL.

The Chicago Blackhawks also have a lot of draft capital in next year’s entry draft to add more prospects, so they can afford to take a gamble on Michkov. Plus, the Hawks have the salary cap room to supplement talent around Bedard while they wait for Michkov.

If he drops out of the top four, Kyle Davidson would be smart to walk over Montreal’s table in Nashville and work out a deal to move up and get Michkov before the Capitals do.