Chicago’s 2024 draft decision still hangs over the Blackhawks like a giant alternate timeline.
If they had taken Ivan Demidov at No. 2, the conversation around this team would look completely different. Connor Bedard might already be skating next to a winger with the kind of offensive flair that turns a lineup into a problem for everyone else in the league. Instead, Chicago went with Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov, a choice built around need, size, and long-term upside on the blue line.
That’s the tension at the heart of the whole debate. Levshunov was the practical pick.
The Blackhawks had a glaring hole on the right side of their defense, and he fit what they were trying to build. He was viewed as a puck-moving, two-way defenseman with the kind of ceiling that drew comparisons to Duncan Keith.
He also came with NCAA experience against strong offensive talent, which made the case even easier to sell. The problem, at least for fans dreaming big, is that the supposed top-end impact has not shown up yet in his career.
Demidov, on the other hand, was the swing-for-the-fences option. The kind of player fans could picture instantly beside Bedard.
A Russian winger with creativity, a dangerous shot, and a bag of tricks that made him feel like the missing piece. The source material frames him as the kind of offensive talent Chicago has been chasing for years: a dynamic forward with elite playmaking and real star power, someone who could have pushed the Blackhawks from the basement into the playoff mix.
There’s no mystery about why that idea was so tempting. Chicago had already missed out on the chance to draft Macklin Celebrini when San Jose won the lottery, and Demidov looked like the next obvious prize for fans who wanted fireworks. The appeal was obvious: Bedard and Demidov as a potential modern-day version of the franchise’s old superstar pairings, with the hope that Demidov could become the linemate Bedard never had.
But that dream came with a price. Taking Demidov would have meant sacrificing the defensive help Chicago clearly needed.
The article is blunt about that tradeoff: the offense would have taken off, but the blue line would have been left exposed. Levshunov may not have become the No. 1 defenseman the Hawks want yet, but he remains a high-end prospect, and that matters because young, high-ceiling defensemen are harder to find than high-end forwards.
So the answer, at least in this telling, is complicated but clear. Demidov would have made Chicago’s attack more dangerous and given Bedard the kind of partner teams fear.
Yet the Blackhawks would have been staring at a much bigger problem on defense. That’s why this remains one of the franchise’s biggest “what ifs”: a tantalizing offensive fit passed over for a safer path, with the future of the team still being shaped by that choice.
In Other News...
Connor Bedard Faces A Different Kind Of Pressure In Chicago
Connor Bedard arrived in Chicago with the kind of hype that can bend a franchise around it, and he has spent the first part of his career carrying the weight that comes with being the No. 1 pick in a rebuild. Now he is moving into his fourth season with a Blackhawks roster that looks a little different around him, with more prospects and veterans filtering in and a clearer sense that the organization wants to climb out of the bottom tier.
The pressure on Bedard has not gone away, but it has changed shape. Early on, it was about surviving the spotlight and showing flashes of why he was drafted first overall in 2023. Now the expectation is more demanding, because Chicago is asking him to be the player who helps turn talent into wins, and the next step will be measured less by individual brilliance than by whether the team starts looking like a group ready to contend again. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Fans Got Another Reminder Of Bedard's Place In The NHL
The Blackhawks have a few different threads running as they head toward camp, starting with the return of their prospect showcase at the practice facility. The 2026 event will feature a 22-player roster and a schedule built to give the organization another early look at its next wave of talent, while the front office also worked to keep a young piece of the blue line in place with a new deal for Kevin Korchinski.
Amid all of that future-facing planning, Connor Bedard got another reminder of how he is viewed around the league. NHL Network placed him No. 44 on its current top-50 players list, a ranking that underscores both his value to Chicago and the expectations that come with being the face of the rebuild. For a team still shaping its next core, that kind of recognition is a marker of progress, even if the bigger leap is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Are Betting On Cole Smith To Fix A Quiet Weak Spot
The Blackhawks spent part of the offseason looking for a sturdier floor in their bottom six, and Cole Smith looks built for that kind of job. After stops with the Predators and Golden Knights, the veteran forward brings the sort of role-player profile Chicago has been targeting: physical play, reliable penalty killing and the experience that comes from surviving long enough to earn trust in harder minutes.
Smith is not arriving to drive offense, and that is the point. Chicago pursued him for a specific type of value, hoping his habits can help steady areas that were quieter than they needed to be and give the lineup more bite when games tighten up. The fit is less about flash than function, which is exactly why the Blackhawks are betting on it. [Read more 🡒]