The Chicago Blackhawks have been able to dream big about the NHL draft for at least a few days.
With no tank-related games on Monday, the Blackhawks held their position as the 32nd-placed team for at least another day and continue to possess the greatest odds of landing Connor Bedard.
How exactly did the Blackhawks get to the front (or back) of the line? As expected, it was all about what they did at the trade deadline. By shipping off Patrick Kane, Max Domi, Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, the Blackhawks made themselves a considerably worse team.
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The Blackhawks have gone 3-11-1 with a .233 points percentage in their 15 games since the deadline. Their 2.26 goals per 60 minutes have largely factored into their demise. The only other team with a points percentage worse than .300 since the deadline is the Anaheim Ducks, who have a .267 points percentage.
The Blue Jackets, who have had a .333 points percentage, and San Jose Sharks, who have a .393 points percentage, aren’t far off since the deadline, but they’ve won enough to allow the Blackhawks and Ducks to drop in the standings.
Standings
Lowest points percentage with first tiebreak being regulation wins and second tiebreaker being regulation/overtime wins (ROW)
32. Blackhawks: .355 points percentage, 16 regulation wins, 22 ROW
31. Ducks: .364 points percentage, 13 regulation wins, 20 ROW
30. Blue Jackets: .368 points percentage, 15 regulation wins, 23 ROW
29. Sharks: .388 points percentage, 16 regulations win, 21 ROW
Remaining games
Blackhawks 6: Calgary (A), Vancouver (A), Seattle (A), Minnesota (H), Pittsburgh (A), Philadelphia (H)
Blue Jackets 6: Toronto (A), New Jersey (A), New York Rangers (H), Philadelphia (A), Pittsburgh (H), Buffalo (H)
Ducks 5: Edmonton (H), Arizona (A), Colorado (H), Vancouver (H), Los Angeles (H)
Sharks 6: Colorado (H), Colorado (H), Edmonton (H), Winnipeg (A), Calgary (A), Edmonton (A)
Monday’s results
No games
Tuesday’s schedule
Blue Jackets at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. ET: The Jackets and Leafs split their previous two games. Columbus has moved up the standings in recent weeks by going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.
Blackhawks at Flames, 9 p.m. ET: The Blackhawks begin a three-game road trip in Calgary. They’re currently riding an eight-game losing streak.
Avalanche at Sharks, 10:30 p.m. ET: The Sharks are on a three-game winning streak as the Avalanche come into town. The Sharks have the toughest remaining schedule among the bottom four teams in the league, according to Tankathon.
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NHL lottery explainer
The worst 11 teams by points percentage are placed in a lottery to determine the draft order. The 32nd-placed team has a 25.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick, the 31st team a 13.5 percent, 30th 11.5 percent and that continues to drop to three percent for the 11th-placed team. A team can jump spots in the lottery, but it cannot fall more than two spots. In other words, the worst team will not draft later than third overall.
The top-four draft prospect updates
Connor Bedard, Matvei Michkov, Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson are the unanimous top-four prospects in the 2023 draft. Bedard is the definitive No. 1 prospect. After him, there is some debate on who is the next best prospect. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranks Michkov second, Fantilli third and Carlsson fourth.
Connor Bedard: Bedard has produced at least a point in 54 of his 59 games in the WHL season, including playoffs, and hasn’t gone longer than a game without a point. To go a step further, he’s produced multiple points in 40 games. He’ll be back in action in the WHL playoffs on Tuesday.
Matvei Michkov: There’s no questioning Michkov’s talent, but there are questions around his NHL arrival. He’s signed to the KHL through the 2025-26 season, so the earliest he’d arrive in the NHL is the 2026-27 season. It wouldn’t be surprising if some teams passed on him due to that fact.
Adam Fantilli: Fantilli has produced points in 26 of 29 college games this season. He also didn’t go longer than one game without a point. He’s currently on a six-game points streak and has produced nine goals and five assists during the stretch. He next plays on Thursday.
Leo Carlsson: Carlsson may not have the numbers of a lot of his draft counterparts because he’s already playing in a pro league, but there’s no mistaking his ability. He’s now making plays in the SHL playoffs, too. He has a goal and six assists in eight games. He’s tied for a team-leading seven points. Here’s his one goal:
Olycklig sekvens för Skellefteå 😱
Leo Carlsson sätter kvitteringen högt 🚨#SKEÖRE #SHL #twittpuck #ishockey #svsshl pic.twitter.com/7fl1LsLmEy— SHL.se (@SHLse) April 1, 2023
(Photo of Connor Bedard: Dennis Pajot / Getty Images)
Scott Powers is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Blackhawks. Previously, he covered the Blackhawks and the White Sox for ESPN Chicago. He has also written for the Daily Herald and the Chicago Sun-Times and has been a sportswriter in the Chicagoland area for the past 15 years. Follow Scott on Twitter @byscottpowers
