2020 NHL Draft set for Oct. 6, free agency starts Oct. 9

The Blackhawks hold the No. 17 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

The NHL finalized the dates for the 2020 NHL Draft and the opening of free agency Friday.

The first round of the draft will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, with rounds 2-7 starting at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. The draft was scheduled for June 26-27at the Bell Centre in Montreal but was postponed March 25 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

The Blackhawks hold the No. 17 pick in the first round for the first time in franchise history. The Rangers have the first overall pick after winning the second phase of the NHL Draft Lottery on Aug. 10.

The Second Phase of the Draft Lottery consisted of the eight teams that lost in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. After the Rangers won the No. 1 selection, the remaining seven teams received picks 9-15 in inverse order of regular-season points percentage.

The full order of selection will be finalized after the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Free agency will start at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9. Free agency usually opens at 11 a.m. July 1 but was pushed back because of the pause to the 2019-20 season.

Chicago has 13 free agents (nine restricted and four unrestricted) to decided on whether to re-sign or not. The top three priorities among the group are UFA goaltender Corey Crawford and RFA forwards Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome.

What could Dominik Kubalik’s next contract look like with the Blackhawks?
What could Dylan Strome’s next contract look like with the Blackhawks?