The biggest decision of Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson’s career might be whether or not to trade in the first round. The Blackhawks have one of their two first-round draft picks in the bag. The Blackhawks are all but guaranteed to take Connor Bedard with their number one pick in the draft. The Blackhawks have another tough decision with their second pick, which will come at 19.
Davidson will face pressure once Bedard is a member of the Blackhawks organization. He will have to rebuild the Blackhawks roster around Bedard fairly quickly. Davidson must hit on the next pick after Bedard.
There has been talk the Blackhawks could be aggressive in the first round by trying to trade up. However, that will come at the cost of their draft capital. They have two first-round picks in the next two drafts, but giving up that capital could cost key players in a dynasty with Bedard.
The Chicago Blackhawks take Colby Barlow in new mock draft
The Athletic came out with a new mock draft this week. Scott Powers predicts the Blackhawks attempt to move up, but they fail to make a convincing offer. The Blackhawks take LW Colby Barlow with the 19th pick:
“After being turned down by a few teams in an attempt to move up, the Blackhawks draft Barlow, a high-scoring winger. With his shot and size, he should be someone that nicely complements Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Lukas Reicel in a top-six role for the Blachkawks in the future.“
“Barlow projects as a top-six winger who can play in all situations whether his team needs a goal or needs to prevent a goal. He plays the kind of game that can drag teammates into the fight. Assuming continued development, 30+ goals in a season is not out of the question based on his finishing ability alone.”
Barlow could be a solid player for the Blackhawks to take on draft night. But he doesn’t seem to have the same forward power as Matthew Wood or Gabe Perreault. However, if the Blackhawks want one of those types of scorers, they might have to be willing to trade up to get them.
Here are highlights of Coby Barlow courtesy of TC Hockey:
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