Ben Pope

Despite the team’s poor record, Connor Bedard’s popularity and the team’s ticket-sales strategies have kept fans coming to the United Center. The Hawks ranked fourth in the NHL with 18,836 fans per game and have a season-ticket renewal rate of 96% this spring.

Bolstering that depth is Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson’s biggest summer objective. He believes doing so will help the team in the short term without affecting any of his long-term plans.

The Hawks will make a top-two selection for a second consecutive year after maintaining the No. 2 pick in the lottery Tuesday.

The young German forward will carry a $1.2 million salary-cap hit on the new deal he signed Tuesday.

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Hawks will find out which of the top four picks in the NHL Draft will be theirs.

After a successful foray into Wisconsin in 2022, the Hawks will return to Fiserv Forum this fall, hosting the Blues in an exhibition game Oct. 5.

Signing Frank Nazar for the final three games of the season is the latest example of Hawks GM Kyle Davidson’s eagerness to use up entry-level contract years as quickly as possible. Lukas Reichel’s contract negotiations this summer offer an example of why it might be a clever strategy.

Bedard, one of three finalists along with Wild defenseman Brock Faber and Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, is likely to receive the award as the NHL’s rookie of the year.

Seth Jones, Nick Foligno and the Hawks’ other veterans are eager — perhaps overly so — for the team to take a massive step forward next season. Realistically, even as general manager Kyle Davidson begins the building-up stage, that probably won’t happen.