\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 7, 2026\u00a0\u00a0(11:25)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t ![\"Oct](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/640352.webp.webp\" "\\"Oct")
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Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Gavin McKenna\u2019s assault case shook the 2026 NHL Draft, and the Chicago Blackhawks look even less likely to chase him.<\/p>\n
A Blackhawks fan account amplified a Scott Powers note that Chicago wasn\u2019t leaning McKenna even before the felony charge, and it\u2019s \u201ceven less likely now.\u201d<\/p>\n
That matters because Hawks fans have spent two years dreaming about pairing a future 1st overall talent with Connor Bedard.<\/p>\n
But \u201cfit\u201d is more than points, it\u2019s risk tolerance, optics, and how your room handles noise.<\/p>\n
On Friday, prosecutors dropped the aggravated assault felony after reviewing evidence. McKenna still faces lesser accusations tied to the same incident.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the key nuance people keep skipping when they say \u201ccharges were dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to team reporter Scott Powers, the Blackhawks were not fond of drafting McKenna before his controversy, and now they are even less high on him.<\/p>\n
“The Blackhawks weren\u2019t likely to draft Gavin McKenna before he was charged with felony assault. It\u2019s even less likely now.”<\/p>\n
Chicago also might not be drafting at the very top anyway, and that shifts everything.
The Blackhawks are 22-26-9 right now.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re bad, but not the kind of bad that guarantees first overall odds.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve also got an extra 2026 first-round pick in play, which gives them more ways to attack the top of the class.<\/p>\n
Gavin McKenna and Chicago Blackhawks feel miles apart<\/p>\n
Hawks fans will hate hearing it, but after the last decade, this franchise simply can\u2019t afford another off-ice headline.<\/p>\n
If Kyle Davidson\u2019s plan is \u201cslow build, clean slate,\u201d then the safest pick often wins over the flashiest one.<\/p>\n
McKenna\u2019s talent is not the question, and his production at Penn State has been real this season.<\/p>\n
The question is whether Chicago wants to spend an entire draft year answering the same uncomfortable questions.<\/p>\n
For McKenna, the next milestone is simple: play, keep the story on the ice, and get through the legal calendar without more turbulence.<\/p>\n
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider<\/p>\n
POLL<\/p>\n
12 HOURS AGO|270 ANSWERS<\/p>\n
Chicago Blackhawks make their feelings known on Gavin McKenna after assault case twists<\/p>\n
Should the Chicago Blackhawks remove Gavin McKenna from their draft board?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PUBLICATION Sam Walker February 7, 2026\u00a0\u00a0(11:25) Photo credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Gavin McKenna\u2019s assault case…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5115],"tags":[7704,521,37,96,5263,508,2626,54457,766,5,4],"class_list":["post-450979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-blackhawks","tag-2026-nhl-draft","tag-blackhawks","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-chicagoblackhawks","tag-connor-bedard","tag-draft-lottery","tag-felony-charge","tag-gavin-mckenna","tag-hockey","tag-nhl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116033198522925610","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}