When Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal hoisted the Stanley Cup on Sunday night after completing a 4-2 series win over the Vegas Golden Knights, it signaled the official end of the 2025-26 NHL season.
And the beginning of the next one.
It starts with the NHL draft on June 26-27 in Buffalo, N.Y. The Chicago Blackhawks dropped two slots in the draft lottery, settling for the No. 4 pick behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (No.1), San Jose Sharks (No. 2) and Vancouver Canucks (No. 3).
Despite that bad luck, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson plans to take advantage of the draft placement.
“We were expecting, based on the odds, (our pick being) 3 or 4, so we’ll pick 1-2-3-4 in my tenure here to complete the set,” Davidson joked after the lottery in May. “If you asked me a couple days ago how many players can be in contention for something like this, I probably could’ve put five or six guys into the mix. We’re going to get a player that we absolutely love that we see as a very important piece of this moving forward.”
The Hawks expect to have a busy offseason, and Davidson has said all scenarios are on the table.
Here’s a look at where things stand one week away from Round 1 of the draft.
Exploring the trade and free-agent markets
It won’t be easy to add veteran players this summer, given the low numbers of both teams in selling mode and quality free agents. Davidson will need to be aggressive if he wants to bolster the roster, and the price will be higher than usual. He might have to consider dealing either the No. 4 pick or some of his young players.
A veteran presence at forward wouldn’t hurt, and some doors may be open — most notably a contract disagreement between winger Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars. He can become a restricted free agent July 1, and it’s unlikely the Stars would let him go without a return.
The Hawks’ interest in Robertson has been rumored for a while now, though nothing has materialized yet. They do have both the salary-cap space ($40.16 million, second-most in the league) and draft picks to potentially make a blockbuster move for Robertson, who averaged 39.2 goals and 88.8 points over the last five seasons.
Robertson, who turns 27 next month, shared his thoughts on his contract talks during his exit interview last month in Dallas.
“I’m optimistic, I hope, (but) it’s not like what it was when I was 10 years old getting into the NHL anymore,” he said. “It’s a business and everything. I learned that four years ago, (so) it’s not my first time.”
A trade for Robertson might be a best-case scenario at forward, assuming top draft prospects Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg are off the board before the Hawks pick. Other possible veteran trade options include the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk and the Anaheim Ducks’ Mason McTavish as the Hawks look to boost what was a bad 5-on-5 offense in 2025-26.
Adding a veteran defenseman would be similarly welcome. While Louis Crevier’s improvement was a bright spot last season, the other Hawks blue-liners didn’t offer much to look forward to. Sam Rinzel went through an unexpected stint in Rockford, Kevin Korchinski’s potential is still in question and Artyom Levshunov had a rookie season he’d rather forget.
Connor Murphy, 33, held the group together before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers at the deadline. With Matthew Grzelcyk, 32, not expected to return, every other defenseman on the current Hawks roster will be 25 or younger next season.
Who will the Hawks draft?
If the Hawks do elect to keep the No. 4 pick, the selection has varied in recent mock drafts and prospect rankings. Sportsnet has the Hawks picking center Caleb Malhotra, The Athletic projects defenseman Carson Carels and Bleacher Report thinks Stenberg will fall to No. 4.
After the draft lottery, an optimistic Davidson said he was in “best player available” mode.
“We’re just going to take the best player and then figure out the reserve list after that,” he said. “It’s all about accumulating talent, but I’m excited to get into the room with our amateur scouts … and figure out who they like.”
That might end up being defenseman Chase Reid, whom the Hawks reportedly met with before the NHL scouting combine on June 5-6 in Buffalo. Reid told the Chicago Sun-Times at the combine that Hawks officials had dinner with him near his home outside of Detroit.
Reid, 18, excelled in two junior seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds, totaling 88 points (25 goals, 63 assists) in 84 games. He’s slated to play for Michigan State in 2026-27.
Drafting a defenseman at No. 4 isn’t the Hawks’ preferred path given their unprolific offense. Reid, though, might be good enough for Davidson not to pass over. While one — or both — of Malhotra or Stenberg could be available, Davidson might surprise by picking the defenseman.
