Once again, the San Jose Sharks stand in the way. After landing Macklin Celebrini first overall last year — a player many felt was destined for a Blackhawks jersey — the Sharks are now set to pick second. And all signs suggest they’ll take the draft’s top-ranked forward, likely Misa.
There’s a slight chance things could shift. If the New York Islanders, holding the No. 1 pick, surprise everyone by taking hometown forward James Hagen over defenseman Michael Schaefer, San Jose could be forced to make a tough decision. Perhaps the Sharks will do what the Hawks did last year and prioritize a future No. 1 defenseman instead of adding another elite forward.
In any case, Chicago is reportedly trying to move up in the draft, hoping to secure Misa. But they’ve been here before. Last year, the Hawks attempted to trade back into the top five to grab Ivan Demidov, only to be turned away by the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had their eyes firmly set on Cayden Lindstrom.
If the Islanders and Sharks are locked in on their preferred players, there’s little incentive for either team to trade down. The Islanders, who shocked the hockey world by winning the draft lottery with just a 3.5% chance, aren’t likely to give up the No. 1 pick — especially when they were nearly a playoff team.
For the Hawks to leapfrog into the top two, they’d likely have to part with some of their valuable young talent. At this stage of their rebuild, that’s a risky proposition. Trading away pieces from their promising prospect pool just to acquire another unproven player could set back their progress.
If the Sharks are open to a deal and are looking for picks, then maybe the Hawks can make a move. But if San Jose is also after young players, the cost may be too steep to justify.
Could Chicago move up to land Misa? It’s a long shot, but not impossible.
Despite not meeting with the team at the draft combine this week, Misa has met with the Hawks multiple times throughout the year. When asked about them, he responded positively: “I love the organization, so we’ll see what happens.”
Even if they miss out on Misa, the Blackhawks will still have plenty of quality options — other skilled, power forwards like Caleb Desnoyers, Anton Frondell, Porter Martone, or Jake O’Brien will still be available.
At the end of the day, if San Jose’s asking price is too high, it might be smarter for the Hawks to hold firm and not overpay in pursuit of a single player.
