WILL HAWKS PARTICIPATE IN TRADING GAME?
DAVIDSON DOESN’T ANTICIPATE MAKING MANY MOVES BEFORE DEADLINE
This time last year, the list of Blackhawks on the trade block was long. Patrick Kane, Max Domi, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty and Jack Johnson all ended up getting moved out.
This winter, that is not the case. Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson has signaled for months that he doesn’t anticipate making many moves ahead of the NHL trade deadline March 8, which is two weeks away.
But one or two trades still could happen. The Hawks have a few players on expiring contracts whom they could part ways with if another team is willing to offer a mid-round draft pick in exchange. They also have more than enough cap space to absorb bad contracts if compensated properly.
Here’s a breakdown of the Hawks’ trade outlook:
FLIP PLAYERS FOR PICKS
The Hawks don’t have anyone with a high chance of getting traded, but they have a few with a small-to-medium chance.
The only Hawk listed on The Athletic’s leaguewide trade board is Tyler Johnson, whose two Stanley Cup rings and lockerroom leadership are probably more appealing than his actual production.
Johnson, 33, has 17 points (including 11 goals) in 42 games after notching 32 points in 56 games last season. Health issues have plagued him in his three seasons in Chicago, but he has played well recently — four points in his last five games (entering Friday) — after returning from a monthlong foot injury.
He probably still could contribute as a bottom-six depth scorer on a contender. Conversely, the Hawks could only cut his $5 million cap hit down to $2.5 million on their own, and that’s still overpriced enough to squash some of his value.
Colin Blackwell doesn’t have Johnson’s name recognition; he does have the injury concerns. But he offers more useful and unique skills, is three years younger and carries a cheap $1.2 million cap hit (on an expiring contract).
Blackwell, 30, has seven points in 27 games. He will continue to battle core discomfort related to his sports hernia for the rest of the season, but his defensive reliability, scrappy physicality and quick tongue are all readymade for a playoff environment. Still, it’s more likely than not he stays in Chicago.
The Hawks also could flip another pending free agent in Anthony Beauvillier, whom they acquired from the Canucks in December, if a contender showed interest. But Beauvillier hasn’t done much since the trade with six points in 17 games, and he carries a $4.15 million cap hit.
WEAPONIZE CAP SPACE
The Hawks have enough cap space to add an additional $31.6 million in cap-hit values between now and the end of the season and remain compliant, according to CapFriendly, so they essentially have unlimited space to weaponize.
The main way to do so would involve taking on another team’s bad contract in exchange for draft compensation — like they did last year when receiving second- and fourth-round picks from the Senators for taking Nikita Zaitsev. But Davidson won’t be willing to take on any contract that stretches beyond 2026, and would prefer not beyond 2025 — a caveat that removes some of the ugliest deals (like Oilers goalie Jack Campbell’s albatross) from consideration.
The Hawks also could function as a salary-retention facilitator, absorbing 25% of the cap hit of a big-name player getting traded to a cap-strapped contender — like the Coyotes did for the Hawks and Rangers in the Kane
trade last year. It’s worth noting the Hawks only have two retention slots left because McCabe already occupies one.
The Leafs, Bruins, Avalanche and Canucks could need a third-party facilitator
if they want to add further. Meanwhile, the Flames could use the Hawks for 25% retention if they decide to move Jacob Markstrom or the Blues could if they move Pavel Buchnevich.