There's no aspect of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise that was not impacted by the events of May 8. That was the night of the NHL's Draft Lottery. The Blackhawks had the third-worst record in the NHL last season, and that meant they had the third-best chance to end up with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets were “ahead” of the Blackhawks, but Chicago overcame the odds and their logo was the one that was revealed by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. As a result, the Blackhawks got the top pick and had the right to select Connor Bedard, the No. 1 prospect in the draft and largely considered to be a generational player.

Nobody is comparing Bedard to Connor McDavid yet, but he is considered the best prospect to come into the league since McDavid was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015.

The Blackhawks did make Bedard the No. 1 pick, and every move general manager Kyle Davidson made since the victory in the lottery was done with Bedard's presence in mind.

Davidson has taken a public tone of not asking for fans to ask for too much too soon from the Blackhawks. The overall hope is that the team will get back to playing at a Stanley Cup championship level, as it did in 2010, 2013 and 2015, but that it will not happen overnight. Most NHL observers do not think the Blackhawks will be a playoff team this year, but the team should show quite a bit of improvement in 2023-24.

Key free agent moves

Drafting Bedard was not the only move they made. When it came to free agency, the Blackhawks signed former Seattle Kraken forward Ryan Donato, and traded for a pair of players who were scheduled to become free agents. Those players are Nick Foligno, who came from the Boston Bruins, and Corey Perry, who had been the property of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ryan Donato

Donato signed a 2-year deal with the Blackhawks valued at $2 million. He is not a dominating player, but he has good speed and will go to the net. Donato  He  scored 27 points last year with 14 goals and 13 assists in 71 games. He also had 2 assists in 14 playoff games for the Kraken.

Additionally, Donato has the skills to be a difference maker in shootouts. He has scored 9 shootout goals in 22 attempts throughout his career.

Davidson sees Donato as a player who can handle a number of different positions because of his versatility.

“We wanted to make sure, if we do find ourselves in a spot with injuries, we do have some versatile veterans … to bounce around and take some different roles,” Davidson said. “Ryan definitely fit the bill.”

Nick Foligno

Foligno came to the Blackhawks in a trade that also saw them acquire Taylor Hall from the Boston Bruins. Hall was the headliner in the deal because of his speed and productivity, and he scored 36 points in 61 games for Boston. While the Bruins were knocked out of the playoffs in the first-round by the Florida Panthers, Hall scored 5 goals and 3 assists in the series.

Foligno does not have the same kind of speed or explosiveness as Hall, but he is a savvy veteran who plays with a physical edge and demonstrates outstanding leadership. He will go into the corners to win puck battles and he will also stand up in the locker room and speak to his teammates when encouragement or correction is needed.

Foligno scored 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 regular-season games for the Bruins and and 3 points inthe playoffs. Foligno signed a 1-year, $4 million deal with the Blackhawks shortly after being acquired.

Corey Perry

The Blackhawks picked up another edgy veteran in Perry in a trade prior to the start of free agency, and he also signed a free-agent deal with Chicago for 1 year and $4 million.

Perry came to the Blackhawks in a trade for a 7th-round draft pick in the 2024 draft, and he opted to sign with Chicago shortly after the trade. He had 25 points last year for the Lightning and scored 5 points in 6 playoff games as Tampa Bay was defeated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the postseason.

Overall assessment

There is a lot of excitement in Chicago because of the presence of Bedard. While the organization is trying to cool the expectations in the rookie's first year, the Blackhawks should have an improved and exciting team in 2023-24.

The acquisitions of Donato, Foligno and Perry are all solid, and the Blackhawks deserve a solid B for the their free-agent work in the offseason.