Double Shifted

ANALYZING THE ALEXANDER NYLANDER/HENRI JOKIJARU TRADE A SEASON LATER Alex Nylander celebrates his first goal as a Blackhawk.  When the Blackhawks shipped Henri Jokijarju to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Alexander Nylander, there was lots of confusion. Jokijarju was primed to become a part of the Blackhawks' defense after spending part of the season before with the AHL's Rockford Icehogs, and Nylander hadn't been able to consistently produce at an NHL level with the Sabres. He had a total of 6 NHL points in 19 games. With the Rochester Americans, he put up 31 points in 49 AHL games. While it's still far too early to say which team was the winner of the trade, we can at least look at the season each player has had so far and use it as a measuring point. First, let's discuss Jokijarju. The Blackhawks drafted him with their first-round pick in 2017 in Chicago, as the draft was held at the United Center that year. In 2018, the Blackhawks had two first-roun...

Going into last year's draft, the Blackhawks were looking at the third overall pick after having a stroke of luck in the draft lottery, allowing them to select Kirby Dach, who at 19 has already made his presence felt at the NHL level. There's a lot still up in the air surrounding everything about this season, including draft positions, due to coronavirus concerns. The NHL could go to a 24-team playoff format, stick with a 16-team format, or cancel the playoffs entirely, but for the purpose of this exercise we're going to assume the standings and draft positions have the Blackhawks staying near the 7th-10th overall pick. It isn't likely that top prospects like Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield will still be available at that point, but 2020 is a stronger draft year and there will certainly be talent available. Here are a few players that the Blackhawks could look to snap up come the draft as they look to return to the playoffs. Kirby Dach was selected at the #3 ...