When you look at the Blackhawks draft of 2014, do me a favour, just pretend you see Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini there in place of Nick Schmaltz. This was actually Perlini's draft and he went 12th, so pretend the Hawks just took him there.
Also, trick your brain to think that Dylan Sikura is going to be an elite top 6 producer in the NHL. Okay?
If you don't do what I say above, this is going to look pretty ugly.
Let's get to it…
Like I said… pretty, pretty, pretty ugly.
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Let's take a quick step back to see how the Hawks finished up there 2014 season.
This one stings a bit and I hope Nick Leddy isn't reading this – because Alex Martinez's goal that went off his body in OT in game 7 sealed the deal for the LA Kings to win their 2nd cup in just 3 years.
Let's be honest, everyone knew whichever team came out of the west was going to win the Cup. The New York Rangers were a good enough team to push through the East, but both the Hawks and Kings were superior in many ways. We witnessed that when the Kings cruised by the Rangers in 5 games.
So, despite a 107 point season and a trip to the Conference Finals, this season ultimately is viewed as a missed opportunity. If the outcome was 1-goal different in the Hawks favour, they would be in the record books with back-to-back-to-back Championships and 4 Cups in 6 years.
The Hawks moved on though and Stan – as per usual – had some work to do in the Summer of 2014.
Here are some moves leading up to the draft the affected some draft picks for Chicago:
The Hawks moved out tough guy Brandon Bollig and then closer to the season Nick Leddy was moved in a regrettable trade by Bowman. Leddy should have been moved at the draft which would have surely garnered a much better return.
Bowman made the savvy signing of Brad Richards on July 1st for a 1-year / 2 million contract after his buyout from the New York Rangers. Richards was a great fit as a second line centre and played a pivotal role in the playoffs that year.
Good on Bowman for that signing because he and Mark Kelley didn't have a very good draft.
Nick Schmaltz was a guy they wanted apparently and he was not a bad pick. Would I have taken David Pastrnak (who went 5 picks later?)… of course! However, it's really hard to fault the Hawks for taking a player 20th overall who just signed a $5.8M / per year contract. Albeit, it's with another team, but nonetheless, Schmaltz served as a solid Blackhawks and was eventually used as possibly one of the best trade chips in the past 5 years.
Dylan Strome should be a Blackhawk for a long time and he's more suited for what the Hawks are looking for in a second line centre. Heck, Brendan Perlini still might turn out to be a player for the Hawks as well, or used as a trade chip himself.
Dylan Sikura is a nice story in the 6th round, but that… is… it. The Hawks missed on 3rd rounder Iacopelli and Starratt.
Freddy Olofsson never worked out and just signed a contract overseas.
Luc Snuggerud was a solid 5th rounder but injuries got the best of him.
Who is Andreas Soderberg… who knows?
There is Ivan Nalimov still sitting there who, I personally don't have any faith in actually ever playing in the NHL. The dream is still alive with him as the Hawks own his rights, but don't hold your breath.
Let's look at Round 1 and 2 to see who else was out there:
(Courtesy of HockeyDB.com)
A good draft overall, but not great by any means.
This draft is not instilling much faith in Bowman and Kelley as we head into the draft, so let's just move right along to the awards.
Best Value Pick – David Pastrnak (BOS), 25th overall Worst Pick – Michael Dal Colle (NYI), 5th overall "Oh Hey, I Forgot About Him" Pick – Josh Ho-Sang (NYI), 28th
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What are your thoughts on this draft?
See ya out there, TC