The dust has settled on the 2023 entry-level draft, but one thing is for sure: the excitement for this draft class and the future of this franchise couldn’t be any higher. No matter what Kyle from Chicago did during this draft, he was going to get a passing grade by adding Conner Bedard to this team, but I think he absolutely knocked it out of the park with his selections. Adding Oliver Moore at pick 19 is an absolute stunner; many consider him to be the fastest player in this draft class, and many scouts had him as a top ten pick. His dropping into KD's lap at pick 19 could end up being a move GMs regret in a few years. He will be taking his talents to the University of Minnesota this fall, where he will be able to continue his development in a fantastic program. Another piece I really liked was goaltender Adam Gajan. He was the hero for Team Slovakia at this past World Junior Championship. Reading into him a bit more, there is a lot of buzz that he has the highest potential of all the goalies in this draft class, and given the Hawks current goalie situation, you must love hearing that.
If you are a Chicago Blackhawks fan, I don’t see how you can't be excited for the future of this franchise. Bedard, Moore, Korchinski, Nazar, del Mastro, and Vlasic—the list goes on and on with players who can become elite. With these players in the pipeline and a GM who is doing and saying all the right things, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that this team is going to reach the top of this league and become the standard for what it means to be great once more.
Quick Hits ~After coming over as part of the Taylor Hall trade, Nick Foligno signed a 1-year, 4-million-dollar contract. A great locker-room guy who knows what it takes to be a leader and last in this league.
~Speaking of lasting in the league, KD brought in a player we all know very well when he dealt a 7th round pick for signing right to Corey Perry. It was also reported last night that he will also sign a 1-year, $4 million deal. I actually really like this move and hope its one of those you hate him when he’s on every other team but love him when he plays for your team. ~Right before round two kicked off, the Hawks announced they had traded for Josh Bailey and a 2026 2nd round pick. As the draft moved on, we learned that he was going to be bought out. A 2nd round pick for 2 years of cap space use seems like a great deal to me, and I am curious if there is going to be any more of this before today's buyout window closes
~KD announced during his post-draft press conference that Kurasev has been given a qualifying offer and that he is the only one to receive one. That means there is a good chance the Caleb Jones era is officially over. Hallelujah!
It is going to be interesting to see what the game plan is for free agency. The team currently has 16 players under contract (this will jump to 17 once the Perry signing becomes official). There may be in-house options that will get playing time, but I think you are still going to want to add a few more vets to this team so you are not completely throwing the kids into the deep end. Saturday is going to be a blast, but with a weaker free agent class, I think we are going to get more trades than signings. Unless the Hawks do something major, I will be back after the 4th of July, so I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday!
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