5 potential trade deadline moves for the Chicago Blackhawks
After a disappointing start to the 2021-22 regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks look like they are experiencing yet another year where they fall short of the playoffs. Now that the “return to the glory days” experiment seems to have fallen short of its goal, the Blackhawks will most likely be returning to the idea of a rebuild under interim general manager Kyle Davidson.
While Davidson may not be the general manager past this season, there are some trades the Chicago Blackhawks could make to set the team in a prosperous direction for the next few years. These trades were all formulated under the idea that the Blackhawks will not be making the playoffs and will be looking to expand their assets.
While I am nowhere near a professional in the trading world, these are five trades that I could see the Blackhawks trying to make to boost their future success. In addition to being theoretical trades, many lean heavily on trying to nab hidden gems in NHL teams’ rosters rather than simply going after draft picks. That being said, here are some trades the Blackhawks could look to make once the trade deadline rolls around.
Marc-André Fleury
Marc-André Fleury is the most obvious candidate for the Blackhawks to trade. When Fleury was acquired this past summer, the Vegas Golden Knights received Mikael Hakkarainen, who was put on unconditional waivers for contract termination not long after.
Clearly, Fleury’s market value is not exceptionally high. However, with half of his salary retained, he becomes a $3.5 million goaltender. This dramatically increases Fleury’s value, especially for a team desperate for goaltending, such as the Edmonton Oilers.
Unfortunately, the Oilers have had sketchy goaltending all season. While Mikko Koskinen has gotten his fair share of the starts, he is in the final year of his contract, and Fleury is a massive upgrade between the pipes.
The return for the Blackhawks is primarily a result of freeing up cap space for the Oilers. Koskinen is being thrown in primarily to fill the slot that Fleury is leaving open. Because this is freeing up some money for the Oilers to spend elsewhere, a 2023 sixth-round pick is also included. However, the major pull that the Blackhawks are receiving in this trade is Carter Savoie.
Carter Savoie is mainly known for being the older brother of highly-rated prospect Matthew Savoie. However, while he has nowhere near the same draft stock as his brother, Carter is no slouch in making a name for himself.
Savoie currently has 22 points in 16 games for the University of Denver. In addition, he has a level of goal-scoring prowess that many other prospects do not. As a result, Savoie could be an incredibly beneficial addition to a rebuilding Blackhawks team. Besides, it never hurts to have another young, talented goal-scorer playing alongside Patrick Kane.