The Chicago Blackhawks have the third pick in the upcoming NHL draft, giving them yet another opportunity to land a running mate for Connor Bedard and drag the team out of the NHL’s basement. Who they pick will go a long way towards determining how soon they will complete the rebuild.
They’ve been linked heavily to Porter Martone. The forward reportedly really likes the Blackhawks, but they’re not quite as in love with the prospect. Still, he remains a very possible selection in the upcoming draft, but there might be one problem with his game.
NHL insider wonders about Porter Martone’s Blackhawks chances
The biggest issue, and perhaps the only real issue, in Porter Martone’s game right now is his skating. He’s not up to par with some of his fellow prospects in that regard, though the rest of his game does a pretty good job of masking that.
Tab Bamford of Bleacher Nation reported, “The Matthew Tkachuk comps are very good and consistent; Martone pointed out at the Combine that he skated with NHL players at the World Championship and had no problems. The question is whether an organization like the Blackhawks that has drafted with speed/skating clearly being a priority for the last few years will see the rest of his game as enough to overlook or accept his apparent deficiencies.”
The reporter also noted that GM Kyle Davidson has thrown a ton of smokescreens every year to distract from his actual targets. Connor Bedard is the only exception because that pick was painfully obvious. Otherwise, early reporting is often off-base, so there’s no telling what Chicago might do here.
Martone is likely going to go very early in the 2025 NHL draft. He might go to Chicago, but given how they’ve prioritized skating with some of their other selections, it is certainly not a guarantee. Not all players have to fit an archetype or be good at the same thing on a roster, but it’s clear that Davidson is building a type of team that Martone might struggle to adapt to at the NHL level.
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