Ivan Demidov's stellar debut reignites criticism toward the Blackhawks for not drafting him

The Chicago Blackhawks decided to go with the defenseman they hope will be this generation's version of Duncan Keith rather than give the face of the franchise a legit star linemate in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Hawks took defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft instead of the talented Russian forward Ivan Demidov.

That will tie those two together for the rest of their NHL career or at least until Levshunov fulfills that Keith-like franchise impact role and is not another Cam Barker.

There was a good portion of the Blackhawks fan base that wanted the Hawks to select Demidov.

Those fans got a reason to reignite the debate with his stellar debut against Chicago.

He had an amazing first period where he picked up his first career NHL point.

He then scored his first career NHL goal with an amazing display of offensive skill that many were hoping could be paired with Connor Bedard.

Here is the catch--the Blackhawks were not the only team that passed on Demidov.

The Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets all went with other options. That allowed Demidov to drop to No. 5 where he was taken by the Montreal Canadiens.

The other kicker is that Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson did try to pull off a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets to have a shot at drafting Demidov at No. 4.

Had Davidson pulled off that trade, that would have been likely the greatest draft haul of all time. The Blackhawks would have landed their cornerstone defenseman and the ideal linemate for Bedard.

However, the Blue Jackets really liked Cayden Lindstrom and decided to keep their pick.

Only time and Levshunov's development will prove if the Hawks made the correct choice.

Also, the Blackhawks have a chance to select Michael Misa or James Hagens in this year's draft to mitigate not taking Demidov.

Plus, Frank Nazar is showing he might be a good linemate for Bedard.

At the time of last year's draft, the thinking was the Blackhawks would not be drafting in the top three for a while.

The hope was that Bedard would take the next step toward superstardom. Add in the offseason additions of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, and the belief was the Blackhawks would at least no longer be contending for the top spot in the Tankathon standings.

Bedard only managed to do a bit better than his Calder Trophy-winning season, while Bertuzzi and Teravainen's impact was not enough to move the Hawks up the standings.

Now that the Blackhawks have clinched the second-best NHL Draft Lottery odds, they have a chance to add a talented forward in the top five of the draft.

Also, there was a good chance Levshunov was going to turn pro immediately while Demidov was still locked into his KHL contract.

He still would have been the ideal cheap entry-level contract reinforcement after the team paid Bedard, but the Hawks were going to have to wait a few years to get him officially into the organization.

That was the thought at the time.

Demidov surprised everyone when he decided to terminate his KHL contract and make the jump to the NHL at the end of the season.

On one hand, this shocker meant the Hawks could have had Demidov on the ice with Bedard right now. On the other hand, the Blackhawks might not have one of the most exciting collections of young blueliners in the NHL.

Had the Blackhawks not had Nazar or another top-five pick, Demidov's amazing start would have been a gut punch.

Instead, it is just an example to dream of what could have been, and hope Levshunov fulfills his potential.