Darren Pang will return for his second season as the Hawks color analyst.

The change in the booth comes three days after the Hawks joined the Bulls and White Sox in announcing the formation of a new broadcast partnership, the Chicago Sports Network, which will carry all three teams’ games and pregame and postgame shows after their contract with NBC Sports Chicago expires Oct. 1.

The 57-year-old Ball spent 10 seasons as the play-by-play voice for the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet. He also served since 2011 as a play-by-play announcer for “Hockey Night in Canada” national broadcasts.

“We are delighted to have Rick join the Blackhawks broadcast booth alongside Darren Pang as we begin this exciting new chapter in Blackhawks television with our new broadcast venture, Chicago Sports Network,” Hawks president of business operations Jaime Faulkner said in a statement.

“An established voice in the hockey world, Rick brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our broadcasts. Coupled with Darren’s exceptional energy and expertise, we believe we are providing Blackhawks fans with the best in-home watching experience in the NHL.”

She also bid goodbye to Vosters, who received mixed reactions from fans in his two seasons since replacing Pat Foley, who retired after the 2021-22 season.

“We would also like to thank Chris Vosters for his time as play-by-play announcer, and we look forward to continuing discussions surrounding opportunities with our new network,” Faulkner said. “Chris is a phenomenal broadcaster with a big career ahead of him, and we are excited for him to continue to showcase his immense talent through his content with Stadium as well as his broadcasting work with other national, multisport entities.”

Ball, who has experience calling Stanley Cup playoff games for Sportsnet and TNT, said in a team statement: “I am thrilled to join the Chicago Blackhawks broadcast booth at such a monumental time in the organization’s history. My family and I are extremely grateful to the Wirtz family for giving me the opportunity to join such a storied franchise. It will truly be an honor to call games for an Original Six team and to work with someone as incredibly talented and respected as Darren Pang.”

After sunning himself on a family vacation in the Caribbean, he’s in Buffalo for work: the NHL scouting combine, which runs Sunday through Saturday.

“You’re doing draft prep, lots of video, lots of discussions and meetings planning out how we want to attack potential roster changes,” Davidson told the Tribune. “All along the way, you’re meeting with the players you’re able to.”

The draft takes place June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas. In 2025, the NHL plans to have teams run their drafts from their home markets instead of gathering in one place.

“It’s exciting,” Davidson said. “It’s the last in-person draft from what we know at this point. So we’ll enjoy the experience down in Las Vegas, but we’re excited to extend this run through the process, get down there and see how we can improve the organization.”

In an interview with the Tribune, Davidson weighed in on several topics, including top wing prospect Ivan Demidov, Connor Bedard’s performance at the IIHF World Championship and the reasoning behind the recent draft-pick trade with the New York Islanders.

1. On the draft trade

When it comes to the draft, the Hawks are developing a reputation for swinging eye-catching trades.

So they created some buzz last week when they upgraded a first-round pick (from 20th to 18th) and a second-rounder (from 54th to 50th) by dealing an additional second-round selection (61st) to the Islanders.

Davidson has to be up to something, right? Maybe a precursor to another move up the board?

“It’s actually been kind of funny to watch all the discourse around that trade,” he said. “It’s been hilarious, actually.

“To us it was just our internal information indicated that it was an improvement in value, and so we did it. You’re correct, a second(-rounder), no matter how late a pick, is not nothing. Having said that, we do have a lot of picks. … We just felt that the picks we’re receiving have a better asset value package than the ones we were sending out.

“Honestly, it was that simple. It’s not a precursor or anything. It’s not a first domino to fall. It was interesting reading all the theories on what the next move was going to be.”

It’s a short list of candidates for the Hawks to pick at No. 2 — Demidov? Artyom Levshunov? — so their second first-round pick carries a lot more intrigue.

Chicago Blackhawks move up in 1st 2 rounds of NHL draft in a trade with the New York Islanders

A few buzzy prospects, such as Bennett Sennecke or Michael Hage, could be at risk of getting snapped up before No. 20.

The conventional wisdom is you don’t make a trade like this unless you have a specific target. But Davidson said: “It wasn’t really done with players in mind. It was just strictly, in our opinion, we were more likely to improve our chances of finding legit NHL players at 18 and 50 than (at) 20, 54 and 61.

“You never know how the drafts are going to go. Whether you’re three minutes from someone making a pick or we’re 30 days from someone making a pick, I don’t know who anyone’s going to pick. I don’t know how it’s going to fall. … I’d be lying if I said that I knew what was going to be there at 18 versus 20.”

2. On interviewing Ivan Demidov

The Hawks will jet down to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in late June for an independent interview session with several of the top Russian draft prospects, including Demidov.

Pundits see Demidov and Levshunov as the strongest contenders to be selected at No. 2 by the Hawks.

“One of the agents is hosting almost like a combine of his own for some of his clients, many of them Russian-based clients that are draft-eligible,” Davidson said. “So it’ll be an opportunity to meet with them that we haven’t necessarily gotten the opportunity to do previously.”

Because of their overseas contracts and visa hurdles, Russian prospects can be difficult to scout, so Davidson said he relishes this chance to get to know Demidov.

“You want to understand what’s motivating a player, whether they’re playing in Vancouver, Toronto, Stockholm or St. Petersburg,” Davidson said. “You want to get to know them and what their motivations are, what their ambitions are, no matter where they’re playing.

“It’s not like he’s different from — or any other Russian-based player is different from — the other 100 players that you’re going to talk with. It’s just everyone’s unique. … But we’re excited to meet him as well as the other players that are going to be down there and then dig into the rest of the group in Buffalo. So it’ll be an interesting process.”

3. On Connor Bedard at the worlds

Bedard started the IIHF World Championship in Czechia with back-to-back goals in the second period of Canada’s 4-2 win against Great Britain, and he finished the tournament with five goals and three assists.

It was a particularly fruitful opportunity for Bedard.

“I believe this year it seemed like you had a few more NHL players willing to go than previous years, and perhaps that’s because of upcoming international play,” Davidson said. “For Connor to be able to experience that, to go play with and against those (NHL) players and get experience playing with Canada … at the world championship level, it can only benefit him, so I’m excited for him to be able to get that opportunity to play in those moments.”

In a shootout loss to Switzerland in the semifinals, Bedard made the primary assist on John Tavares’ tying goal with a little more than two minutes left in regulation.

“He’s out there on the ice and trying to tie up the game late or (win) in overtime of a semifinal game like that,” Davidson said. “That’s all really beneficial experience for him to be on the ice for.”.

4. On signing Martin Misiak and Zach Sanford

Misiak might not be the household name that Bedard is, but he’s a fairly essential piece of the Hawks’ long-term plan.

After the 2023 draft, Hawks director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey called Misiak “almost like a Brandon Saad-type player, that big-bodied wall player.”

On Tuesday the 6-foot-1, 201-pound Slovakian winger signed a three-year contract with the Hawks that carries an annual salary-cap hit of $878,333, according to CapFriendly.com.

After posting six goals and 11 assists in 27 games for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms in 2022-23, Misiak racked up 23 goals and 24 assists in 60 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters this past season.

“We just thought his two-way game was strong all year,” Davidson said. “He’s a mature player, he plays a mature game.”

Davidson said Misiak followed a similar development plan to Nick Lardis, another winger from the 2023 draft class, whom the Hawks signed to a three-year entry-level contract in April.

“We’ll figure out what’s best for his development and where he’s best suited to play,” Davidson said. “The options are pro hockey (in the AHL) or back in the OHL. There’s always the European option, but we’ll figure that out over the summer.”

Davidson doesn’t see Misiak as a candidate to make the Hawks roster this fall.

“You never want to say never, but it would be hard,” he said. “It would be a very big jump. I think that’s unlikely. He needs some development time.”

The Hawks also brought back 29-year-old depth forward Zach Sanford on a one-year, two-way contract with a $775,000 cap hit. Sanford put up four assists in 18 games last season.

“We just love the mentality and the experience and what he brings to the room every day,” Davidson said. “Whether he’s here (in Chicago) or in Rockford, we know he’s an absolute pro.”

Davidson said Sanford will have an opportunity to make the Hawks roster out of camp, but “if he does end up with the IceHogs, we know he’s a capable recall to come up and play some bottom-six minutes for us and fill a role should we need it.”

The Hawks — who also own the No. 2 pick in the first round — sacrificed one of their three second-round picks to make the deal.

The Hawks acquired the Nos. 18 and 50 picks in the trade, with the Islanders receiving Nos. 20, 54 and 61. All three picks the Hawks sent to New York were acquired in previous trades with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks.

The Hawks now have two picks in each of the first three rounds but with a slightly better premium for their second pick in each of the first two rounds.

• Round 1: Nos. 2 and 18
• Round 2: Nos. 34 and 50
• Round 3: Nos. 67 and 72 (from a 2022 trade with the Ottawa Senators)

The Hawks also have picks in the fifth and sixth rounds but none in the fourth and seventh for a total of eight selections.

By acquiring the 18th pick, the Hawks improved their odds of landing several prospects whom draft pundits projected to be snapped up before No. 20, including Oshawa Generals winger Beckett Sennecke and Chicago Steel center Michael Hage.

It’s not out of the question that the Hawks could package that pick with No. 34 and move up again. They also have two first-round picks next year as potential trade chips.

“Maybe there will be more action at 2. There certainly wasn’t any action at 1 (last year),” GM Kyle Davidson said. “Everyone is pretty tight-lipped, not only about their players but their draft boards. You do hear some rumors, scout talk, but I don’t put too much stock in that unless I’m hearing it directly from a GM. I’m very skeptical of the information.”

It seems highly unlikely the Hawks would part with the No. 2 pick, but you never know. This is a team that started with no first-round picks in 2022 and ended up with three — and then went against convention and selected defenseman Kevin Korchinski at No. 7, considered a reach at the time.

Here are several options for the Hawks at each draft spot.

No. 2

The consensus says the Hawks will take Ivan Demidov, a right wing for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL junior league. Demidov has had a couple of knee injuries since October, and according to reports he’s under contract with the Russian league.

Davidson indicated the Hawks will do their due diligence on both fronts but said for now, “I don’t think it’s any concern at all.”

But Artyom Levshunov, Anton Silayev, Cayden Lindstrom and Cole Eiserman are also possibilities with the pick. Read more here.

No. 20

While the Chicago Blackhawks have been stockpiling draft picks like toilet paper in a pandemic, Davidson doesn’t sound averse to dealing this year’s No. 20 selection that he acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It would be a disservice to close yourself off and just be like, ‘We’re just going to make this pick,’ or, ‘Just going to try and move up,’” he said. “Whether it’s move back, move up, stick, see what that pick’s value is on the market, (trade for) an established NHLer — whatever the case may be — that’s all up for evaluation.”

Could it be Michael Hage, Bennett Sennecke or Sacha Boisvert? Read more here.

7 options for the 3 picks in the 2nd round

Davidson considers this year’s NHL draft pool to be deep, “certainly through the second round.”

That’s a good thing for the Hawks, who own five picks in the first two rounds, including the Nos. 34, 54 and 62 selections in Round 2.

“There’s always players that end up surprising people and being a little bit better than you would have thought at 18 years old, and it’s our job to try and find those,” Davidson said.

Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, agrees.

“There’s no deficit, that’s for sure,” he said. Read more here.

That’s a good thing for the Hawks, who own five picks in the first two rounds, including the Nos. 34, 54 and 62 selections in Round 2.

2024 NHL draft: Options for the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 2, No. 20 and for their 3 2nd-round picks

“There’s always players that end up surprising people and being a little bit better than you would have thought at 18 years old, and it’s our job to try and find those,” Davidson said.

Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, agrees.

“There’s no deficit, that’s for sure,” he said.

When asked about players who likely will be available at the top of the second round (the No. 34 pick is the second selection in Round 2), Marr listed several defensemen, including Adam Kleber of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, EJ Emery of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, Ben Danford of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and Colton Roberts of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

“Kleber, Danford and Emery, these are guys that aren’t going to be expected to put up big numbers, but they can play big minutes, shutdown guys, handle the physicality and play a bit of a shutdown role,” Marr said.

He also name-checked some forwards with “grit”: Sam O’Reilly of the OHL’s London Knights, Cole Beaudoin of the OHL’s Barrie Colts and Andrew Basha of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

We previously looked at five potential options for the Hawks with the No. 2 pick and three other players they might target at No. 20. Here are seven more players who might be available in the second round.

1. Tanner Howe

As Connor Bedard’s former linemate with the WHL’s Regina Pats, the winger has a built-in connection on the Hawks if they choose him.

“He helped Bedard just as much as Bedard helped his game,” Marr said.

Howe was invited to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in January in Moncton, New Brunswick. He had 28 goals for the Pats (slightly down from the previous year’s 36) and 49 assists in 68 games.

Marr said Howe is “not the biggest guy (but) he still had a very good season, even though the (Regina) team wasn’t as strong.”

Howe is listed at 5-10 — “5-9½,” Marr said — and 175 pounds, and “you can only have so many small forwards on your roster to have a competitive lineup,” he said. “The best (of those) players end up in the NHL, but he has the potential to be one of those NHL players. He’s a real talent.”

2. Cole Beaudoin

Beaudoin ranks 25th on Central Scouting’s North American skaters list. The center posted 28 goals and 34 assists in 67 OHL games with the Colts, a big leap from eight goals and 12 assists in 63 games the previous season.

“He plays like his last name is Tkachuk,” Marr said. “He’s just got that mix of … smart, good skills, just not elite.

“He’s an athlete as well. He’s 6-2, 209, he’s a solid athlete, but he can play the physical game. He can own the boards, own the corners and the front of the net. He can protect the puck, cycle the puck in the offensive zone to where he’s hard to jump, hard to get the puck off.”

In the playoffs, “you need the Cole Beaudoins in your lineup to win,” Marr said.

3. Dominik Badinka

The 6-3, 183-pound defenseman is Czech by birth and has played three seasons with 2023 Hawks third-round pick Jiri Felcman on Czechia’s international junior team.

This season Badinka joined Malmo of the Swedish league.

“I think he thought he would have a better chance to develop there, but he was in Finland the year before,” Marr said. “He obviously wants to be a hockey player because he left home, went to Finland and went to Sweden, and those are the two European countries that generate a lot of NHL players.

“His hockey sense is strong. He skates really well for his height.”

Marr said the Badinka buzz is growing.

“Going into the combine, he’s one of the higher European players with interview requests, so teams are keyed in on him,” he said.

4. Ilya Protas

The left wing for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers checks in at 6-4 and 184 pounds, and his older brother, Aliaksei, has played three seasons for the Washington Capitals.

“(Early) this season, he wasn’t on our list,” Marr said. “And now on our final list, he’s at 49. So he’s well-known. I know teams are spending a lot of time finding out more about him.”

Marr added that the Belarusian has “nice moves” for a forward his size, and he has improved his strength and skating.

“He ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of clubs,” Marr said. “We have him pegged as a ‘B’ prospect, but he could be … a late bloomer.”

5. Lukas Fischer

The 6-3, 173-pound defenseman is following in the footsteps of his father, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer. Marr said the younger Fischer has “raw potential.”

With the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, “he got a lot of ice time, more ice time than he should have had at his age (17),” Marr said. “And you make mistakes, you learn from your mistakes, and he has.”

6. Cole Hutson

The NTDP U18 defenseman also has family pedigree: He’s the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson.

Marr said Cole Hutson “probably won (over) a lot of doubters near the end of the season (and) in the U18” World Championship this month in Finland. The North Barrington native was named to the tournament’s all-star team as one of the top two defenders.

Marr believes Hutson will get drafted higher than where he’s ranked (55th among North American skaters).

“He’s got a similar skating style to his brother, but they do play different games,” Marr said. “Lane has a more mature offensive game. Cole’s game is a little bit more reckless but in a good way. Not that he hurts his team, but he takes more chances.”

7. Kamil Bednarik

Like Hutson, his NTDP U18 teammate, Bednarik is another local, from Elmhurst.

Marr calls him a “Ryan O’Reilly type” in terms of his skill, character and competitiveness.

“He’s the one that goes in the corners to come up with the puck and gets the job done,” Marr said. “He just brings out a little extra physical element.”

Bednarik, a Boston University signee like Hutson and potential No. 2 pick Cole Eiserman, has a two-way game. He had two goals and four assists at the U18 worlds.

“His skill set, you don’t get to see it shine as much as the Eisermans and the (Teddy) Stigas and these guys in the program because they’ve got all the best players from across the country,” Marr said. “They all can’t be top-line forwards on the power play every game. But he’s a talented prospect.”

“It would be a disservice to close yourself off and just be like, ‘We’re just going to make this pick,’ or, ‘Just going to try and move up,’” he said. “Whether it’s move back, move up, stick, see what that pick’s value is on the market, (trade for) an established NHLer — whatever the case may be — that’s all up for evaluation.”

2024 NHL draft: Options for the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 2, No. 20 and for their 3 2nd-round picks

We previously looked at five potential options for the Hawks with the No. 2 pick. According to several pundits’ mock drafts, here are three players who might be available at No. 20.

1. Michael Hage

The Hawks have an enticing option in their backyard, but they might miss out on the Chicago Steel forward thanks to the Lightning finishing 20th in the draft order instead of 19th.

Hage had 33 goals and 42 assists in 54 games in a rebuilding year for the Steel.

“He literally placed that team on his back in the second half to help carry them over the finish line to get into the playoffs,” said Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, adding that Hage makes teammates better.

“His compete is great. Now, it’s a little too aggressive,” Marr said with a laugh. “He was suspended a number of times in the second half (three, according to USHL.com) because he likes to win every situation. He doesn’t let anybody get the better of him.

“This is the type of sandpaper that you need in your lineup, especially when you’re watching playoff hockey. These are the guys that can gut it out and grit it out. And he’s right up that alley.”

2. Bennett Sennecke

Marr said the right wing from the OHL’s Oshawa Generals has the three C’s “that analytics don’t analyze for you: character, consistency and compete.”

Central Scouting says Sennecke has puck skills and “weave agility.”

“In the offensive zone, he’s got a real get-up-and-go game,” Marr said. “(He can quickly) read and recognize the opportunity, read the play, get open, get the chances.”

However, Marr said the 6-foot-2, 177-pound Sennecke has a long way to go to get stronger.

3. Sacha Boisvert

A 6-2, 176-pound center for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, Boisvert is committed to play in college for North Dakota, Jonathan Toews’ alma mater. That says a lot about the type of player he is, Marr said.

“Michigan has a reputation of getting a lot of high-end high school players and North Dakota gets the skills guys, but they have a little bit more compete and grit to their game — that’s just who they recruit,” he said. “And they locked eyes on Boisvert.

“This is a player, when push comes to shove, he’s going to make sure he comes out on top. … When he’s on his game, he’s front and center and you notice when he’s on the ice. He’s a very hard player to check (and) very hard player to stop, just because of the compete and drive that he plays with.”

It was a different story when the Blackhawks had the No. 1 pick in last year’s NHL draft.

“Yeah, I really didn’t hear from a lot of teams,” general manager Kyle Davidson said.

Two words: Connor Bedard. Why bother?

This year’s draft on June 28-29 in Las Vegas is a different matter.

Had fortune smiled on the Hawks and awarded them the No. 1 pick a second year in a row, the selection would have been Macklin Celebrini. End of story.

Instead, the Hawks retained the No. 2 pick in last week’s draft lottery.

“There’s pain that goes into ending up at that point,” Davidson said after the lottery, “but as we sit here now at No. 2 overall, there’s going to be a huge reward.”

Having that pick — along with a second first-rounder, No. 20, as well as three second-round picks — carries a bit more intrigue than the cut-and-dried first pick.

“Maybe there will be more action at 2. There certainly wasn’t any action at 1 (last year),” Davidson said. “Everyone is pretty tight-lipped, not only about their players but their draft boards. You do hear some rumors, scout talk, but I don’t put too much stock in that unless I’m hearing it directly from a GM. I’m very skeptical of the information.”

2024 NHL draft: Options for the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 2, No. 20 and for their 3 2nd-round picks

It seems highly unlikely the Hawks would part with the No. 2 pick, but you never know. This is a team that started with no first-round picks in 2022 and ended up with three — and then went against convention and selected defenseman Kevin Korchinski at No. 7, considered a reach at the time.

We’re taking a look at potential options for the Hawks’ five picks in the first two rounds. Here are five possibilities at No. 2.

1. Ivan Demidov

The consensus says the Hawks will take Demidov, a right wing for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL junior league. Demidov has had a couple of knee injuries since October, and according to reports he’s under contract with the Russian league.

Davidson indicated the Hawks will do their due diligence on both fronts but said for now, “I don’t think it’s any concern at all.”

With Demidov in Russia, the Hawks aren’t able to scout him to the degree they’re able to scrutinize other international prospects, somewhat of a risk for such a premium pick.

“It’s a little bit of a hurdle in that, of course, there’s comfort in (seeing with your) eyes and being present in the rink and watching them in person,” Davidson said. “But we trust our scout in Russia. He does really good work, and then there’s also the video that you can rely on.”

Those challenges didn’t sway the Hawks from drafting Roman Kantserov with the No. 44 pick in the second round last year.

“The process we ran with Roman last year felt thorough enough that we took him, and I wouldn’t expect that to change with any player this year,” Davidson said.

Demidov is NHL Central Scouting’s second-ranked international skater.

“Arguably he’s one of the most skilled players in the draft class,” Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, told the Tribune. “He’s got that quickness with his skates and speed but also his quickness with his smarts.

“Whoever he plays with, that line’s going to be a productive line because he sees the ice so well and he makes plays at top speed. And then he can finish and score.”

Some have compared the 5-foot-11, 181-pound Demidov to 2023 No. 7 pick Matvei Michkov, but Marr said Demidov’s elusiveness puts him in the mind of someone else.

“You’re talking about the likes of a (Minnesota Wild forward Kirill) Kaprizov, those types of players,” he said.

2. Artyom Levshunov

Marr said the emergence of some special defensemen makes the top of the draft more interesting.

“We have some high-caliber defensemen in our top 10,” he said. “What’s intriguing about them is that they all play a different style.”

The Hawks invested first-round picks two years ago in Korchinski and Sam Rinzel, and they extended Alex Vlasic last month. And with other high-value defensive prospects in the pipeline, you’d think that might rule out drafting a defenseman.

“I don’t think so,” Davidson said. “I think we’re heavy on defense, we’re heavy on forward. … Strength at those different positions just means that we can go ‘best player.’ We can rank the board accordingly and then just go with what fits the best.”

Two defensemen in particular stand out: Levshunov and Anton Silayev.

The 6-2, 208-pound Levshunov helped Belarus win gold at the 2022 IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship in Denmark (Division I, Group A) and helped Michigan State reach the quarterfinals of this year’s NCAA Tournament.

“He can contribute offensively, but he’s just got a complete game,” Marr said. “His understanding with positioning and reading the play, moving the puck, it’s really high-end.”

Marr said it was hard for him and his staff to sort out the top defensemen, but “you can ask the question, and we do this during our meetings: ‘Who’s the player you’d want to build your team around? Who are the two (NHL) guys you would compare them to most?’

“And (for) Levshunov, (Zeev) Buium and (Zayne) Parekh, we’re rattling off Norris Trophy names.”

3. Anton Silayev

The 6-7, 211-pound defenseman made a strong impression this season and climbed to No. 1 in the international rankings — one place ahead of Demidov.

Silayev, who turned 18 on April 11, became one of six players 17 or younger to play at least one game in Russia’s top professional league.

“A tower on ice with an excellent physical presence,” Central Scouting says. “(He) has improved a lot year over year and is now used in all game situations. Surprising mobility for a player of his size, he is active, alert and involved.”

4. Cayden Lindstrom

The center’s season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers was stalled a couple of times by injuries — hand surgery and a back injury — but he remains a solid candidate.

“He never really got back into full form,” Marr said. “But when he’s at full form, he’s a force to be reckoned with.”

Lindstrom finished with 27 goals, including at least one goal in nearly 60% of his games (19 of 32) and eight multigoal outings, according to Central Scouting.

“This is your power forward who can play in all situations,” Marr said. “On the skill side, he can make the plays, set up plays, get to the net, finish the scoring chances, but then he can own the front of the net, he can own the corners, he can own the play along the boards.”

5. Cole Eiserman

Before the season, he looked like a lock at No. 2. But now? Who knows?

“We’ve had him at 12, we’ve had him at 8 — it’s all over the map with him,” Marr said. “But there’s no denying that he is a goal scorer.”

So why did his stock drop?

The NHL’s chief scout said Eiserman tends to look one-dimensional at times.

“You have to be able to play in other moments of the game, other situations, and you just can’t always be put on the ice on the power play to get set up to score off the one-timer,” Marr said.

The Boston University signee had a whopping 58 goals and 31 assists in 57 games for the U.S. National Training Development Program’s Under-18 team. He also had nine goals and one assist in seven games at the U18 worlds, though he expressed disappointment about being snubbed for the world juniors.

Marr said Eiserman has been taking steps in the right direction, so “he could move back up.”

“He’s not going to hurt his team in other parts of the game, but he is going to deliver on the goal-scoring side,” Marr said.

“Yeah, I did. I did,” he said with a smile. “I had a little flashback to last year.”

Last year, in the same scenario, the Hawks won the lottery and secured the No. 1 pick, which they used to draft generational player Connor Bedard.

This year there was no surprise ending.

The Sharks won the top pick, the Hawks landed at No. 2, and the rest of the draft order went chalk — right along the assigned lottery odds.

“That’s the way it went and that’s totally fine. I’m really happy with the way things went,” he said.

“I was way more nervous last year. Winning last year and having that in our back pocket made this year a little bit easier to navigate,” Davidson said.

“To be honest, it didn’t weigh on me that much. Last year, it consumed everything that I feel like we did, that we talked about. … It was just so much hype going into last year and it was just a different animal, so it felt a little bit different.”

Several mathematicians told the Tribune prior to Tuesday night’s draft lottery, broadcast live on ESPN, the Hawks had a 1.5% chance or better of winning back-to-back lotteries.

Davidson made sure to send the message that he didn’t view the second overall pick as a consolation prize, calling it a “win” several times.

“It wasn’t No. 1, but for us, the way we see this draft and what we’re able to acquire at the draft in June, No. 2 is a very big win,” he said. “We’re really excited. I can’t wait to dig in with our amateur staff next week to start the process of getting that board finalized or on the road to being finalized.

“Glad to know where we’re picking finally.”

“Yeah, I did. I did. I had a little flashback to last year. But that's the way it went and that's totally fine.”

—Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson on whether he had deja vu when the NHL draft lottery came down to the Hawks and Sharks (Chicago won No. 1 last year but got 2nd Tuesday) pic.twitter.com/yRb1FGqkV7

— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) May 8, 2024

The Hawks will pick second for only the second time in franchise history. They selected forward Andy Culligan in 1965.

It could’ve been worse. The Hawks could’ve slid to No. 4.

But when the lottery balls settled, and the numbers 3-6-11-14 came up in the second drawing, the Hawks retained the No. 2 pick, which aligned with their second-best odds at 13.5%.

Still, there’s no denying that for the last-place Sharks (18.5%), their winning combination of 2-7-10-11 was a franchise-shifting moment.

Landing the No. 1 pick for the first time in history, they won first dibs at consensus top prospect Macklin Celebrini.

While the Hawks almost certainly will miss out on the Boston University forward, they’ll have a host of elite prospects from which to choose. Many pundits peg Russian winger Ivan Demidov as the most likely No. 2 pick.

The 5-foot-11, 181-pound right wing from SKA St. Petersburg placed second among NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of international skaters and first among forwards.

According to reports, Demidov has had injuries to the same knee twice in one season (October and April), and he’s under contract for another season in the KHL.

“We don’t have too much on medical stuff,” Davidson said. “I don’t think it’s any concern at all.

“As far as the player being from Russia, it’s so case-by-case and every player is different. Just like a North American or a non-Russian European, it’s always case-by-case. …

“You just have to do your fact-finding. If you feel comfortable — in this case, I’m sure the Russian question is, ‘Are you going to see them?’ — if you feel comfortable, then they’re just treated like every other player. There’s obviously some dynamics sometimes you have to weigh when it comes to players with contracts overseas, but I don’t necessarily see too many of those questions in this draft, as we stand here now.”

The Hawks have eight other selections in this year’s draft, including another first-rounder (No. 20, resulting from a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning) and three second-round picks.

The draft will be held June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

The contract carries a $1.2 million annual salary-cap hit, which represents a modest raise for the restricted free-agent forward, who will be entering his third season (and first full season) with the Hawks. His cap hit was $925,000.

By contrast, the Hawks rewarded defenseman Alex Vlasic with a bump from $916,667 to $4.6 million annually in a six-year deal signed April 25 after a breakout season.

Incidentally, Reichel’s fellow first-round picks Connor Bedard (age 18), Frank Nazar (20) and defenseman Kevin Korchinski (19) are also under contract through 2025-26.

Reichel, 21, finished a rocky season with five goals and 11 assists in 65 games. The 2020 first-round pick was scratched for one game in December and two straight in January. He then missed 13 games for the Hawks in late February and early March while playing for the Rockford IceHogs.

But he thrived in his return to Chicago, posting two goals and four assists in his final 15 games.

The Hawks sent Reichel back to Rockford to build on his progress in the Calder Cup playoffs. He recorded two goals and two assists in four games before the IceHogs were eliminated.

After the season, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson praised Reichel for rebounding from earlier struggles that included going without a point for his first nine games.

“The brief message to him when we sent him down was that we want him to go down and we want him to dominate, want him to help carry that team,” Davidson said on April 20.

However, the Chicago sports teams face several hurdles.

For example, the NHL, NBA and MLB all have to sign off on the plan, so any major hiccup in a complicated agreement could scuttle the deal and the teams would have to go in a different direction, either collectively or separately.

A source also refuted a report that the trio previously had a deal in the works with Stadium Network, of which Bulls and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf owns a controlling stake.

When contacted about the move, the Hawks said in a statement that “the teams continue to have multiple conversations and will announce our plans for October once they are finalized.”

Sports leagues have been under pressure with carriers struggling to keep up with rights fees amid dwindling cable and satellite TV subscribers — or regional sports networks’ parent companies just bailing on the enterprise altogether.

The Hawks, Bulls and Sox have been broadcast through NBC Sports Chicago since 2004, but that relationship will expire on Oct. 1.

RSNs have been shrinking as broadcast groups like NBC squabble with providers like Comcast and Dish TV over revenue or as teams venture out on their own, like the Cubs did when they and Sinclair launched Marquee Sports Network in February 2020. That partnership signaled the end of seven decades of free, over-the-air broadcasts on outlets such as WGN-Ch. 9.

The trio of NBC Sports Chicago teams could face challenges in their transition.

Like all teams in this new broadcast landscape, they have to reassure their leagues about solutions to scheduling and out-of-market conflicts, and well as concerns about broadcast quality.

To reach their full market potential, the Chicago teams might need a mix of Standard, Sinclair and other broadcasters. But each of the three potential options carries its own set of concerns.

1. Cable

Based on how Comcast has previously behaved, it’s almost a certainty it would cost more for fans to tune into the same programming.

Last fall, the Seattle Kraken’s ROOT Sports Northwest, which also broadcasts the Mariners and Portland Trail Blazers, saw viewers’ monthly bill go up by $18.50 when Xfinity placed the channel in its “Ultimate TV” tier, according to the Seattle Times. The channel had been in the “Popular TV” tier.

Tuesday’s Chicago Sky preseason game will be streamed following fan outcry over broadcast access

The same happened with the Penguins’ and Pirates’ SportsNet Pittsburgh, which is also carried by Xfinity: customers saw a $20 hike in January.

Earlier this week, Comcast blacked out 15 regional sports networks under Bally Sports because of a contract dispute with distributor Diamond Sports Group.

2. Over the air

Yes, that’s a thing again.

Not quite the spindly metal “rabbit ears” of old, but some teams are turning to the modern version of the digital antenna — and it’s free.

Before last season, the Vegas Golden Knights and Scripps Sports teamed up to launch Vegas 34, which required viewers to use antennas (some TVs have them built in already) and rescan their channels.

The Utah Jazz got out of the RSN game and began offering free, over-the-air access through its traditional broadcast home, KJZZ.

3. Streaming

Not just as an alternative — but as a primary option.

In late April, Amazon announced a new partnership with the Kraken to allow Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska to stream games through its Prime Video app and website, starting Oct. 4. The Kraken also broadcasts games over the air. Amazon also bought a minority stake in Diamond Sports.

But the three Chicago teams would have to find a streaming partner for those fans who don’t have or watch through TV.

Whatever form this new Standard venture takes, the Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox will have to walk fans through a new set-up, including where to find the channel or how to install an over-the-air feed.

The new network also would allow the teams to tweak the lineup of on-air talent or change it completely.

NBC Sports Chicago produced pre and postgame shows using its own employees with some input from the Chicago teams, but until a deal is inked among the parties, it’s too soon to forecast what the lineup would look like in the future.