Blackhawks get No. 3 pick in NHL draft lottery, are focused on drafting new head coach
The Chicago Blackhawks had the second-best odds to land another number-one overall pick in the NHL Draft this year, but they were bested by a team not far from the NHL Draft Lottery in Secaucus, New Jersey.
With just a 3.5% chance, the e New York Islanders were bounced into the top spot. The Islanders have the right to pick first for the fifth time in team history, and first since selecting John Tavares with the No. 1 pick in 2009.
Utah won the second lottery drawing and made the jump from 14th to fourth under the rules limiting teams from moving up no more than 10 spots in the draft order.
The Blackhawks had to settle for the third pick, after selecting first and second the last two years.
But the team's first priority is drafting a head coach.
"Ultimately, we want someone that's excited about what's going on in Chicago, and you know, based on the reaction, and my phone every day, this is quite — it's an appealing job, and we feel that, and we know that," said Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, "but we've got to find the right person that fits what we're doing, and that's kind of the course we're running right now."
The Blackhawks fired head coach Luke Richardson in December, and Anders Sörensen has been at the helm on an interim basis since.
