QUEBEC CITY, QC – OCTOBER 18: Alexis Lafreniere #11 of the Rimouski Oceanic skates prior to his QMJHL hockey game at the Videotron Center on October 18, 2019 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks had a bit of draft luck in 2019 but could they have even more in 2020? If they did, one player can change everything.
The last time that the Chicago Blackhawks won the Draft Lottery, things worked out okay for them. In fact, winning the right to draft Patrick Kane in 2007 might be the most defining moment in the history of the franchise. Kane is probably going to go down as the greatest player to ever suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks. The draft is the single best way to improve hockey teams in the long term.
So what if they got lucky and won the lottery again in 2020? We don’t know exactly how it will work because we don’t know how many teams are going to get in the playoffs this year. The pause of the NHL season has made things interesting but as of right now we have to assume that they are not a playoff team. They weren’t in line to make the playoffs if the season went as scheduled which would have made them eligible for the lottery.
If they are eligible for the lottery, their odds probably wouldn’t be that good but that means nothing. Last season, they had terrible odds to win any of the three lottery spots and they struck gold with the third one. They lucked into the right to make the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. They selected Kirby Dach with the third overall pick and he seems like a kid who can be a great impact player for a long time.
Well, if they win the first pick in the draft they will select Alexis Lafreniere. He is the guy who will go for sure to whatever team wins the lottery. He currently plays for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. He is 18 years old and will turn 19 just a few days into next season, assuming it starts on time. He will be an impactful player right away when he gets to the National Hockey League.
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Lafreniere is a left-wing that can play in an NHL top-six right now. He could play on a line with Jonathan Toews and make it a great line right away, he can play on the opposite wing of Patrick Kane, or he can be a part of a new line with Kirby Dach or Dylan Strome. There would be so many possibilities for this kid in the Hawks lineup because of how many great forwards there are on this team. He would be able to elevate any line he plays on right away.
In 52 games for Rimouski, he had 35 goals and 77 assists for 112 points. If that seems like a ridiculous total, that’s because it is. He is so much better than every other prospect in the world. He also had four goals and six assists for ten points in five games for Team Canada in the 2020 World Junior Championships. Wherever he goes, he is elite and that will also be the case in the NHL.
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Lafreniere is the complete package. He brings physical play along with the insane skills to the table. He can score goals in the dirty areas and create high danger chances for his teammates. A lot of the traits that belonged to Sidney Crosby when he was coming out of juniors live in Lafreniere. Crosby is a center and Lafreniere is a winger but he might be able to have a similar impact on any given hockey game.
If the Hawks won the lottery this year, they would be getting one of the best young players in the world. Having Lafreniere join a core of Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist, Dylan Strome, and Alex DeBrincat, would make the later years of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith go smoothly. He would be able to transform the direction of this franchise like nobody else available can.