NEWSLETTER
Over the past couple weeks, I — like many of you — have been engaged in Blackhawks social media. Whether it’s in the comments on the book o’ faces or surfing the artist formerly known as Twitter, there are more opinions than I would like to admit are possible. And pretty much all of them have weighed in on what the Blackhawks should do at No. 2 in the 2024 NHL Draft tonight.
Should the Blackhawks take Russian winger Ivan Demidov?
Or should the Blackhawks select Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov?
Those have been the two names predominantly linked to the No. 2 pick. And the sentiment on social media for the past couple weeks has been that the Blackhawks HAVE TO take one of them because the other would be a biblical disaster. A Titanic-level mistake. A career-ending whoops for members of the Chicago Blackhawks front office.
I felt it necessary given how heated some of the discussion has become to say something as clearly as I can here:
It’s going to be okay, Blackhawks fans.
I like this quote from an unnamed assistant general manager in a piece from Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus at The Athletic that published on Thursday night:
“I don’t think it matters,” the league source said. “If you’re between a winger and a ‘D,’ I think you just pick the player with the greatest probability to reach the highest potential to influence winning the Stanley Cup and sort it out later. I didn’t study in the top five or top 10 in each draft, but I would surmise that more teams’ best winger comes in that window than best defenseman, but I also think that’s because people find it easier to evaluate forwards, and the pressure on young defensemen drafted high is great and the fan base often turns on them in their third year when they’re 21.”
If the Blackhawks take Demidov, he’ll spend a year in Russia and then likely come over to North America. He’s a fabulous prospect who has been compared to Nikita Kucherov and Kaprill Kaprisov. Whether or not he gets to that level of success during his NHL career obviously has lots of variables involved, but scouting reports love the kid.
Demidov would be a great pick for the Blackhawks.
If the Blackhawks take Levshunov, he might spend another season in East Lansing with the Spartans. He might sign and get a taste of the NHL and/or Rockford this coming season. Craig Button has compared him to Brent Seabrook. He has all of the elements you want to see in a top-pair right-handed defenseman — something the Blackhawks need. He’s going to be a very, very good defenseman in the NHL.
Levshunov would be a great pick for the Blackhawks.
I’ll even go one step further: if the Blackhawks shocked the world and went off the board (well, outside of the two assumed options) and selected Denver defenseman Zeev Buium or Medicine Hat center Cayden Lindstrom at No. 2, I still won’t be pissed.
“They’re all really good options and so that just lends itself to a debate that you want to give the proper time to, right?” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson told the media in Vegas on Thursday. “You don’t want to anoint anyone or any one direction too soon, and so you give it time to breathe, you give it time to digest new information and so it’s been a pretty healthy debate and one that we’ve taken a lot of time to consider. But again, with great options come that debate.”
I’ve written my fair share of mock drafts, and analyzed and shared my thoughts on a dozen mock drafts from other reputable outlets. In my final mock draft, I had the Blackhawks choosing Demidov because I feel the ceiling for his impact is higher than Levshunov. That isn’t a knock on Levshunov; I won’t be mad at all if the Blackhawks take either player.
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to get a very good player who will have the opportunity to have a tremendous impact on a successful next decade of NHL hockey in Chicago with the second pick.
It’s up to the player and the organization to work hard, develop and make that impact on the club. And, again, there are plenty of variables in play that can impact and influence players’ growth. But, at the end of the day, it isn’t worth ripping up your season tickets (or digitally deleting them these days) or taking applications from other teams to change your allegiance just because the Blackhawks don’t take the guy you feel should be the pick at No. 2.
I’ll say it again: whether it’s Demidov or Levshunov (or even Buium), the Blackhawks are going to get a tremendous prospect at No. 2. And we should be thrilled the Hawks are able to get someone that caliber 365 days after they called Connor Bedard‘s name in Nashville.
