Blackhawks Reportedly Tried to Trade Up in First Round of 2024 NHL Draft

Wow! The Chicago Blackhawks almost flipped the 2024 NHL Draft on its head very early on Friday night. The Blackhawks picked at No. 2 and selected defenseman Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State. However, the Hawks reportedly tried to get back to No. 4 in the draft, per NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun.

In theory, this feels like Kyle Davidson's attempt to go up and get Ivan Demidov in addition to Levshunov. The Blackhawks must've liked both players a lot with this report floating out there, and Davidson was willing to get bold in order to pull it off. If they offered two first-round picks (18 potentially and one of next season's firsts) that is a hell of an attempt to get back up to No. 4.

What hurts the most is hearing that the trade almost happened. The Blackhawks would've shocked the world with the trade. However, Columbus loved Cayden Lindstrom too much to move off the pick.

What could have been. Had Davidson left Vegas with Artyom Levshunov and Ivan Demidov, he would've had a red carpet rolled out for him in Chicago. Although the Hawks have still put together a great draft, fans were robbed of a landscape-shifting trade on Friday night.

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