Blackhawks Daily: Building for Contention

The Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers is headed to Game Seven. This huge event will take place on Monday night in Sunrise. Florida had a 3-0 series lead but the Oilers have since won three straight games to tie the series. All of the pressure is back on Florida to avoid one of the biggest collapses in NHL history. The Chicago Blackhawks are far away from being as good as these two teams but they can learn a thing or two from both of them. Each of them had good picks in the top five back in the day but each has gone about things differently.

Tomorrow will be the first #StanleyCup Final Game 7 in five years!

Last time around, the @StLouisBlues ended their drought and captured their first championship! pic.twitter.com/RGJ5500dqE

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 23, 2024

For Florida, only Sasha Barkov, Anton Lundell, and Aaron Ekblad are everyday players who were drafted by Florida. The rest of Florida’s roster is filled out by signings, a few lucky waiver claims, and good trades that were made. That includes a guy like Matthew Tkachuk who was part of a blockbuster NHL trade and a guy like Sergei Bobrovsky who signed a lucrative goaltender contract.

Edmonton has a few good trades and signings on their roster but most of their team was built through the draft. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, Ryan McLeod, Philip Broberg, and Stuart Skinner were all drafted. They were also gifted with multiple Draft wins that resulted in the likes of McDavid dropping into their lap.

The Chicago Blackhawks could go down either path building around Connor Bedard. They have already made a lot of good first-round picks in addition to Bedard but only time will tell what they do with those players.

A good idea would be a mix of both styles. You need to draft well to build your core but when the time comes to make a big splash either via trade or free agency, Kyle Davidson must not hesitate.

There is no one-way to building a winner which is what the 2024 Stanley Cup Final shows. Chicago can look at these two teams and learn from their roster construction. The Hawks are off to a good start but there are plenty of ways to go about finishing off this rebuild.

Blackhawks In Case You Missed It

Now Martin Necas is available in a hockey trade? The Blackhawks might need to be creative but still can figure a way to snag him.

True to his name, Jett Luchanko  flies on the ice and could be a potential target for the Blackhawks. But will it be at #18–or maybe the second round?

Stanley Cup Final Coverage From Florida Hockey Now

The Edmonton Oilers believed they could make it to a Game Seven after going down 3-0. Here’s a look at how it got there

Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers are ready for Game Seven in what could be a game for the ages.

Hockey Now Network

Detroit Hockey Now: The Detroit Red Wings played hardball with one of their promising prospects who likely gets a shot at full-time status next year.

New Jersey Hockey Now:  The New Jersey Devils traded for Jake Markstrom. This is a move that could get them back in contention permanently. 

San Jose Hockey Now:  According to some reports, Barclay Goodrow is upset with the New York Rangers, especially after being claimed by the San Jose Sharks.