As we inch closer to the NHL Draft, rumors will swirl around the Chicago Blackhawks, as there is certainly no player set in stone with their selection at number three overall.
The Blackhawks were reportedly very aggressive in last year's draft, as there were multiple reports that the Blackhawks wanted to trade back up to the top of the draft to select Ivan Demidov. While that trade didn't come to fruition, apparently there was another trade that didn't come to fruition, one that would have been even bigger than a move back up for Demidov.
Recently, Charlie Roumeliotis appeared on the Chicago Hockey Radio show and mentioned that he heard that the Hawks tried to make an even bigger splash in the 2024 NHL Draft. This splash would have come in the form of a trade that would have moved the Hawks up to first overall to select Macklin Celebrini.
The Blackhawks made a pitch ahead of last year's draft to trade up with San Jose and select Macklin Celebrini, @CRoumeliotis says:
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) June 9, 2025
(via @chihockeyradio) pic.twitter.com/5lRBvCJHqr
Roumeliotis notes that the Hawks "really tried" to get the first overall pick and that they made a "significant pitch." This would have been an insane move for the Hawks and would have given Bedard a potential young superstar to grow with.
It is unclear how far these talks went, as Roumeliotis also mentions how plenty of teams tried to make a move up to number one. However, a trade between the Sharks and the Hawks would have been a swap between one and two, so perhaps the Sharks thought about it more than the other offers.
This would have sent shockwaves through the draft, as the Hawks would have had two of the better young players in the league and it would have likely created significant changes to the top-10 of the draft.
A young forward core of Bedard, Celebrini, and Frank Nazar would be one of the best in the league and could have accelerated the rebuild by a year or two, as you would have two or three franchise cornerstones. Since a deal didn't get done, I would imagine that the Sharks were asking for an absolute haul, or they must have been dead set on taking Celebrini at one.
It is likely that Sharks would have been seeking number two overall, the Blackhawks later first in the 2024 draft, and probably their first in 2025 to even get the conversation past preliminary talks. I'm sure Davidson thought about it, but the Sharks were likely going to want more to get the job done.
This proves that Kyle Davidson is not afraid to be aggressive in the draft and these types of moves may happen in the 2025 NHL draft, as the Hawks have plenty of ammo to get something done if they really want a certain player or two.
