On Tuesday evening, the Blackhawks had the misfortune of dropping two spots in the 2026 NHL Draft order thanks to some unfortunate bounces at this year’s draft lottery.
Chicago will now pick No. 4 overall despite finishing second from the bottom of the league standings this year, leapt by Toronto and San Jose during the lottery proceedings.
the Chicago Blackhawks will be selecting π πππππ at the 2026 NHL DraftπβΌοΈπ¨ pic.twitter.com/Fxr3zjc3I4
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) May 5, 2026
After the lottery, GM Kyle Davidson addressed the possibility of trading that No. 4 pick but cited league history as part of his answer:
Kyle Davidson said he'd be open to trading the fourth-overall pick, but did note that those trades rarely happen. He said position won't matter if the Blackhawks are making that pick.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) May 5, 2026
Davidson also appeared on CHSN following the lottery:
"We just have to take the best player available."@PatBoyle__ sat down with Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson after the NHL Draft Lottery: pic.twitter.com/TrXDb8CHeC
— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) May 5, 2026
Chicago has drafted No. 4 overall exactly one time in its franchise history. That came in 1964, when it selected Richard Bayes, who never appeared in an NHL game. Hopefully the Blackhawks have more success than that, with some more recent success stories including San Jose’s selection of Will Smith in 2023 and Colorado’s selection of Cale Makar in 2017.