Chicago Blackhawks considering former Canadiens legends son at 2024 NHL draft
General manager Kyle Davidson has eight days remaining before the NHL Entry Draft begins and it appears that they are interested in former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu's son Aatos.
The 17-year-old centre who stands at six feet and 170 lbs, played for TPS U18 and TPS U 20 where he played 48 games, scoring 25 goals with 28 assists for 53 points and had 38 penalty minutes. According to eliteprospects.com, he is discussed as a legitimate shooter of the puck. He holds a variety of ways of shooting the puck especially his curl and drag wrister.
Many rankings throughout the NHL have put Koivu between 27th by NHL central scouting and 118th by Dobberprospects. This links to the idea that the Blackhawks could use their 18th overall pick to scoop up Koivu as a team requires more offence.
Davidson continues to round out his roster as there is a sense the Blackhawks need taking a step forward next season add to show results for all their draft picks and prospects. Currently the team has 15 players signed under contract next year and they hold over $32 million in cap space.
With eight players to retain which include four restricted free agents that hold arbitration rights, Davidson is going to have his work cut out for him as he tries to balance his salaries with Bedard and Kevin Kochinski needing extensions within the next few years.
The first round of the NHL draft will take place on June 28th at 7:00 PM eastern.
| POLL | ||
Should the Blackhawks draft Aatos Koivu in the 1st round ? | ||
| Yes | 35 | 42.7 % |
| No | 47 | 57.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
