CHICAGO – While they were far away from qualifying for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Blackhawks have had some rooting interest while watching the action over the past few months.
That included the Western Conference Finals, where a selection hung in the balance thanks to the participation of the Oilers in that series.
As part of the trade of Duncan Keith to Edmonton, the Blackhawks got a conditional third round draft pick along with defenseman Caleb Jones. It could have become a second round pick if the Oilers won three playoff rounds and Keith would be in the Top 4 defenseman on that team when it came to ice time in the postseason.
While the second part of that came true, with Keith ranking third among Edmonton defenders with an average of 19:39 of ice time per playoff contest, the first did not.
The Avalanche finished off a sweep of the Oilers in the Western Conference Finals on Monday night with a 6-5 victory in Edmonton. Because of that, the Blackhawks will now have a third round pick from the Oilers instead of a second.
This is the second time in these playoffs that a team in which the Blackhawks had a conditional pick attached has lost short of the requirement to move the pick up a round. As part of the Marc-Andre Fleury trade, the Wild had to advance to the Western Conference Finals and have the goalie get at least four wins in the first two rounds for the Blackhawks to get a first round pick from Minnesota.
The Wild would end up losing in the first round to the Blues, so the Blackhawks settled with a second round pick.
Here are the Blackhawks’ selections for the 2022 NHL Draft, which will be held in Montreal July 7th and 8th at the Bell Centre.
- 2nd Round – 38th Overall
- 2nd Round – 57th Overall – Fleury Trade
- 3rd Round – 81st Overall
- 3rd Round – 90th Overall
- 3rd Round – 93rd Overall – Keith Trade
- 6th Round – 167th Overall
- 6th Round – 173rd Overall
- 7th Round – 199th Overall