Almost two months ago, when I first took a shot at projecting the Chicago Blackhawks’ options for their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, they were slated to pick somewhere fourth to sixth overall.
Plenty has changed since then. With eight games left to play in the 2025-26 season, the Canucks are about to clinch the worst record in the NHL, but the Blackhawks are right behind them. Their 27-34-13 record puts them two points worse than the Rangers and three lower than the Flames, so there’s a decent chance Chicago finishes with the second-worst record in the league again.
If those results hold, the Blackhawks would be guaranteed to pick in the top four, with a 28% chance that their pick is first or second overall (30.3% for third, 42.1% for fourth). A top-four pick would almost certainly signal the end of a lengthy, challenging rebuild for the Blackhawks, who would add that pick to a lineup that already features players drafted first, second, and third overall in the past three drafts—plus picks 7, 13, 18, 19, and 25 from the past four summers.
Assuming Gavin McKenna goes off the board first overall and the Blackhawks are second through fourth overall, they’ll have a handful of options that they should be honing in on.
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Ivar Stenberg, RW (SHL)
The bad news is that Stenberg doesn’t have elite skating speed like Frank Nazar or flashy hands like Connor Bedard. The good news is that he more than makes up for it with his vision and timing. He’s a great playmaker due to his elite hockey sense and a solid shot. With a huge amount of young talent on Chicago’s roster next year, the Blackhawks could use an efficient, smart forward who plays well with the puck and sets up his teammates. Using that skill to set up Bedard or Nazar in the offensive zone could make either of Chicago’s top two lines lethal.
Keaton Verhoeff, RHD (NCAA)
A player consistently ranked in the top 2-4 on most lists, I mentioned Keaton Verhoeff two months ago, and his potential hasn’t changed. The situation has—Connor Murphy went out the door, so the Blackhawks only have three RHDs (Levshunov, Rinzel, Crevier) on the roster and not a ton of potential in the pipeline. How about adding another huge (6-foot-4) blueliner with great tools? Verhoeff is still a bit raw, and he’ll probably return to the University of North Dakota next season. When he’s a bit more polished, though, he could be a great fit in Chicago’s young defensive core.
Tynan Lawrence, C (NCAA)
The Blackhawks are excited about what forward Sacha Boisvert can do at the next level after coming to Chicago from Boston University. Why not grab his teammate while they’re at it? Lawrence, who won’t turn 18 until August, missed quite a bit of time this season at BU due to an injury, but projects as a positionally sound center with an excellent 200-foot game for the Blackhawks. Ryan Greene—also out of BU—has been great for Chicago this season in a similar role, and the team can never have too many high-IQ players. If the Blackhawks are on the board second or third overall, I’d prefer they go with a more exciting talent like Stenberg or Verhoeff, but Lawrence will certainly be on their radar if they fall a bit in the lottery.
