Blackhawks might not receive Panthers' first-round pick due to previously unknown condition

It turns out the Blackhawks won't functionally have two entries in the 2026 NHL Draft lottery.

The Panthers' first-round pick, which the Hawks acquired last March in the Seth Jones trade, is actually top-10 protected, the Sun-Times confirmed Friday. If it winds up being a top-10 pick, the Panthers get to keep it, and the Panthers' 2027 first-round pick (with no protection) will instead transfer to the Hawks.

The Hawks' front office was aware of this condition all along, per sources, but it didn't become publicly known until Friday. Fans and other reporters had been operating under the assumption the Panthers' shockingly bad season was a boon for the Hawks.

Instead, the Panthers' struggles could open the door for them to punt on this season, shut down players who have been battling through injury after the Olympic break, fall further down the standings, cash in on a top pick and then retool as a contender for 2026-27. That's similar to what the Bruins did last spring, and it has worked out well for them this season.

The Panthers entered the Olympic break Friday having lost five of their last six games, sitting eight points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The NHL is unpredictable, though, so there's no guarantee the Panthers will slide further after the break. They're currently in 10th-to-last place in the league by a razor-thin margin, so any upward movement whatsoever would put them in position to have to give the Hawks their pick, after all.

It's not inconceivable the Panthers could still make a playoff push, but them finishing outside the playoffs but also above the bottom 10 would represent the best-case scenario for the Hawks.

The Hawks still own their own 2026 first-round pick, which would enter the lottery with the sixth-best odds if the season ended today, as well as three second-round picks and four later-round picks.