Kyle Davidson, Blackhawks Move Up In The Draft–But For What?

At first glance, it’s for “just” a couple spots in the draft. After all, general manager Kyle Davidson said he would be doing his due diligence when it came to the 20th overall pick. He moved up two spots by trading the 20th overall,  along with the 54th and 61st overall pick (2nd round) to the New York Islanders for the 18th and 50th overall picks.

Will value suddenly change by moving up two spots? That’s really in the eye of the beholder. But this deal certainly smells of something more–and it may not have anything to do with picking at the 18th overall pick.

Kyle Davidson Promised Due Diligence

Davidson was  straightforward when it came to the options they had at 20th overall.

“Whether it’s move back, move up, stick, see what that pick’s value is on the market for another prospect, an established NHLer, whatever the case may be–that’s all up for evaluation,” Davidson said.  “If one option arises that is clearly the highest value, that’s what we’ll do. We’re not married to any one direction with that pick we’ll just evaluate the board and the draft prospects with the assumption that we will make it–that’s all we really can do. When we get to Las Vegas, that’s when options start to materialize. It’s about evaluating from there.”

Apparently that value has been found. Whether or not it correlates to picking at #18 and #50 respectively remains to be seen. But it sure seems odd to move up a couple spots in the first-round for a player who will likely take a bit longer in terms of development. Moving up in the second-round by dealing two for the price of one is in the same line of thinking.

Hell, we looked at the odds of those picks hitting big and the math isn’t exactly in their favor.

So might this be the start of some creative maneuvering to grab a bigger piece outside of the Draft? Perhaps.

It goes without saying that in pervious iterations of draft talk, bold decisions need to be made about drastically improving the Blackhawks roster. Simply having patchwork on the roster isn’t enough anymore. Trading for an Anthony Beauvillier is to assist on a smaller scale now. Going for a big score here–if indeed that’s the route–might be the best way to get the ball rolling.

There’s plenty flying out there in terms of trade rumors but tracking what is legitimate or not is merely speculation. The names that are flying around while speculative, will be chased by other teams as well. So if it means more attractive trade pieces to get a deal done, so be it.

The Hawks begin their chase to contention this offseason–and they need a giant leap talent wise from last year to do so. While this trade may be some baby steps, perhaps it will lead to that larger jump Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks are seeking.