The Artyom Levshunov vs. Ivan Demidov debate no longer stands as the only player comparison question that will loom over the Blackhawks for many years.
Based on the NHL draft results Friday, there’s a new question: How will Bowen Byram compare to Chase Reid in three years? What about in five or seven years?
The Hawks decided to trade the No. 4 overall pick to the Sabres for Byram on Tuesday once they determined they would likely be stuck selecting a defenseman with that selection.
That assessment proved correct Friday when the top three forwards in the draft were indeed chosen with the top three picks.
The Maple Leafs took winger Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick, as was long expected, and the Canucks grabbed center Caleb Malhotra with the No. 3 pick, also as was long expected (despite a late smokescreen).
In between, the Sharks took winger Ivar Stenberg, the Hawks’ preferred target, at No. 2. The Sharks had foreshadowed that by trading winger William Eklund to the Senators for the No. 9 pick Tuesday — the precursor domino to the Byram trade.
That forward run left a large group of defensemen atop the board. Had the Hawks not traded No. 4, they likely would’ve selected Reid, a dynamic offensive defenseman whose career took off over the last two years.
The Sabres, however, shocked the league by instead selecting defenseman Daxon Rudolph, who had been projected to go in the eighth-to-12th range.
Reid ultimately fell to the Kraken at No. 7 after the Rangers took Alberts Smits at No. 5, prioritizing the big Latvian’s pro readiness as they try to avoid rebuilding, and the Flames used the No. 6 pick on Carson Carels, a classic Western Canadian farm boy.
The Sharks got a defenseman at No. 9 like they hoped, taking physically imposing Keaton Verhoeff, who was considered a possible top-two pick earlier this season before slipping a bit. The Jets grabbed Swedish center Viggo Bjorck at No. 8 and the Predators completed the top 10 with American winger Wyatt Cullen.
The Hawks didn’t make any first-round picks but enter Saturday holding the 34th and 37th picks early in the second round, as well as one third-round (66th), one fourth-round (119th) and two seventh-round picks (194th and 200th).
They essentially chose Byram over Reid because Byram, 26, should be able to immediately impact — or even transform — their NHL defensive corps. Reid, on the other hand, is headed to Michigan State next season and is probably two years away from breaking into the NHL full-time.
But Reid’s upside is likely higher than Byram’s, unless Byram explodes with the opportunity he’s about to receive. Reid’s ceiling could be something like Zach Werenski, whom he named as his player model at the combine.
How rapidly — or slowly — Reid progresses toward that possible ceiling in Seattle will be interesting to monitor. If he follows a remotely similar trajectory to Demidov in Montreal, the Hawks might look foolish in retrospect.
Aside from the picks themselves, Friday continued an absurd week of trades around the league. The Golden Knights sent Pavel Dorofeyev to the Rangers, the Mammoth shipped JJ Peterka to the Bruins and the Ducks dealt Mason McTavish to the Blues, all for packages that included multiple first-round picks.
Is it possible Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson could make another bold swing for a high-end forward in the coming days? Immediately following the Byram trade, that seemed unlikely. Now, it seems slightly more plausible.
The Hawks still have three 2027 first-round picks and a bunch of prospects to offer in negotiations, and Connor Bedard still desperately needs a proven linemate.
Stars star Jason Robertson remains available, having reportedly rejected a Kraken contract offer with a whopping salary-cap hit around $15 million, but it’s unclear where he does want to go. Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko is a flashy new addition to the forward market. The list is long beyond them, too.