First-round picks traded in Blackhawks and Islanders swap!

On Friday, hockey fans found themselves with a five-pick trade.

The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired the No. 18 and No. 50 overall selections from the New York Islanders in exchange for the No. 20, No. 54, and No. 61 picks in this year’s NHL Draft.

Chicago previously had five picks in the second and third rounds combined, and they used their extra draft capital to move up from No. 20 to No. 18 and from No. 54 to No. 50. Therefore, the Blackhawks jumped up two spots in the first round and four spots in the second round. They have eight draft picks total in 2024, which includes the No. 2 overall selection. Six of the eight picks are in the first three rounds.

The 2024 draft will be held at Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28. Rounds 2-7 will be on June 29.

The 12 teams that lost in the first two rounds of the playoffs were slotted into picks 17-28. Teams that did not win their division were placed in inverse order of regular-season standings points, followed by the one division winner that lost, the Vancouver Canucks.

The Islanders meanwhile, got an additional second-round pick for moving down a total of six spots to stock up on promising prospects. 

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