Blackhawks considering massive NHL Draft trade to appease Connor Bedard

The Chicago Blackhawks have missed the playoffs six years in a row and finished last in the Central Division this season, but they may not be as far as you might believe.

The Blackhawks are teeming with young talent, a group led by Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar that also contains a bunch of impressive young defensemen. Not only that, but Chicago is loaded with draft capital heading into the offseason, and it also lays claim to a fair chunk of cap space.

There is a possibility that the Blackhawks take a major step forward this summer, and it starts with the NHL Draft next weekend.

Chicago owns the No. 4 overall pick, and while the hope is that the Blackhawks can land Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg, who could comprise a fantastic long-term duo with Bedard, there is no guarantee that Stenberg will fall to them.

However, Chicago seems determined to land Stenberg, and Scott Powers of The Athletic has reported that a trade is possible.

Chicago Blackhawks could trade up for Ivar Stenberg

In the event that it doesn’t look like Stenberg will slide, Powers feels that general manager Kyle Davidson may pull out all the stops to bring Stenberg to the Windy City.

“There is a chance Ivar Stenberg will fall to the Blackhawks at No. 4. The Blackhawks don’t seem to be that confident in that, but others are. But even if that is a possibility, Blackhawks fans aren’t going to blame Davidson if he’s overly aggressive and gives up too much, at least on paper, while trying to acquire the Sharks’ No. 2 pick to ensure he can select Stenberg,” Powers wrote. “Outside of Gavin McKenna, there’s not another player who fits what the Blackhawks could use more than Stenberg.”

The general expectation is that the Toronto Maple Leafs will select McKenna No. 1 overall. San Jose will likely choose a defenseman like Chase Reid, but the Sharks had dinner with Stenberg at the Scouting Combine in Buffalo, so they are at least flirting with the idea of taking him.

As for the Vancouver Canucks at No. 3? They just hired Manny Malhotra as their head coach, so they may very well select his son, Caleb Malhotra.

That would leave Stenberg for Chicago, but clearly, the Blackhawks feel that the 18-year-old could ultimately go a spot or two ahead of them. They have draft capital to spend, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they put together a significant package to move up for Stenberg, which would certainly satisfy Bedard.

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