Happy Draft Day! Hawks Trading into the First? Keith’s Future, Remembering Marchment, Boqvist Extended, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

It’s Draft Day, Blackhawks fans! The first round begins tonight at 6 PM CT (on ESPN). While the Blackhawks don’t have a pick tonight as we wake up this morning, that could change dramatically if the right deal materializes. As we all gird our loins before a potential trade frenzy, let’s jump into some headlines.

  • To say the next two (indeed, seven) days are important to rookie general manager Kyle Davidson is like saying a light breeze feels nice during a hurricane. With all of the massive trade rumors swirling around the organization and his first draft beginning tonight, Davidson is now in position to put his words into action in building the future of his organization.
  • When Davidson met with the media on Wednesday evening, he mentioned that they could have “clarity” on their goaltending situation “in the next 24-48 hours.” So… a trade for a goaltender is coming soon?
  • The hockey world — fans and front offices alike — are all waiting for the first round of the draft to begin tonight. And it certainly feels like a lot of the action is in a holding pattern waiting for the Montreal Canadiens to make a decision with the first overall pick. As we noted earlier this week, their indecision may be impacting the Blackhawks’ ability to make a major trade.
  • There’s still a chance that Duncan Keith retires, which would complicate the Blackhawks’ salary cap situation dramatically. And, according to Darren Dreger, Keith still hasn’t informed the Oilers of his decision but it could come soon.
  • Sad news broke on Wednesday. We learned that former Blackhawks defenseman Bryan Marchment passed away at 53. He was a physical defenseman who kept everyone on the ice on their toes when they played against him. He’s gone far too soon. Our condolences to his friends and family.
  • The Blackhawks acquired Marchment in 1991 in the trade that sent Troy Murray to Winnipeg. Two years later he was included in the blockbuster trade that sent Steve Larmer to Hartford and, eventually, the Rangers.
  • With Blackhawks fans paying attention to who the Columbus Blue Jackets select with what used to be Chicago’s first-round pick tonight, the Jackets provided another reminder of the Seth Jones trade on Wednesday. They signed former Blackhawk Adam Boqvist to a three-year deal with a $2.6 million AAV.
  • Finally, since we’re going to focus on prospects a lot in the coming days (weeks… years…) why not slide over to the Cubs farm system for an update on how some of their future is performing.
  • written by

    Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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