The Blackhawks weren’t involved in the NHL’s sudden explosion of trades Wednesday — 48 hours before the deadline Friday — but they still might benefit from it.
That’s because general manager Kyle Davidson’s only assets to peddle are depth forwards — Colin Blackwell, Tyler Johnson and Anthony Beauvillier — and salary-cap space.
With fewer upper-end trade targets left on the market, contenders who missed out on the surge Wednesday might be forced to look at options further down their board, which is where Blackwell and Johnson likely will be.
And the more trades that happen, the tighter cap space becomes for teams making acquisitions, which might increase their
motivation to dump a bad contract or their need for a third-party broker to retain some extra salary on additional acquisitions — two services the Hawks happily would perform for suitable draft-pick compensation.
Davidson and the rest of his front-office inner circle — including associate GM Norm Maciver, adviser Brian Campbell and assistant GM Meghan Hunter — traveled with the Hawks on their quick road trip this week to Colorado and Arizona, but they returned Wednesday to Chicago and will be in their usual offices through the deadline at 2 p.m. Central time Friday.
They won’t be too busy, and there’s no guarantee they will do anything at all. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hawks get involved in at least one or two transactions.
Shortly after the Hawks’ executives landed Wednesday, a wave of activity swept through the league. The Senators dealt forward Vladimir Tarasenko to the Panthers, the Ducks dealt forward Adam Henrique to the Oilers, the Flyers dealt defenseman Sean Walker to the Avalanche, the Sabres and Avalanche swapped forward Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Bowen Byram, the Kraken dealt forward Alex Wennberg to the Rangers and the Flames dealt defenseman Noah Hanifin to the Golden Knights.
The fact the Ducks and Flyers received first-round picks in return was an encouraging sign for sellers around the league that market prices might be higher this season than expected. Predators GM Barry Trotz claimed Tuesday on a radio show in Nashville that prices are ‘‘ridiculous.’’
The Flyers took on aging forward Ryan Johansen in the Walker trade, as well, and immediately put him on waivers. If Johansen goes unclaimed — and he probably will — he’s an example of a bad contract the Hawks might consider absorbing with compensation. As of now, the Flyers would be on the hook for a $4 million cap hit through next season. Johansen has 23 points in 63 games this season.
As of late Wednesday, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel remained the biggest name on the market and the most-anticipated trade centerpiece. Trades involving Coyotes forward Jason Zucker and Capitals forward Max Pacioretty also are expected, and it will be interesting to see whether Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom, Devils forward Tyler Toffoli, Ducks forward Frank Vatrano and Canucks forward Elias Lindholm move or not.
But there isn’t exactly a jaw-dropping collection of talent available, and that’s why — especially after a few more of those shoes drop — teams might perceive the Hawks’ pieces as consolation prizes. Blackwell’s identity as a gritty, penalty-killing, bottom-six role player differentiates him from the aforementioned forwards, and that might appeal to a team not seeking a big splash.
Depending on which teams acquire Guentzel and Toffoli, meanwhile, they might need some help with cap logistics, and the Hawks have two salary-retention slots unused at the moment. The Henrique trade set a rough market price for retention; the Lightning received a fourth-round pick for taking on about $1.46 million (25%) of his cap hit to help the Oilers squeeze him in.
The Hawks, who are coming off an uplifting 5-2 victory Tuesday against the Coyotes, are expected to practice Thursday and Friday at Fifth Third Arena before visiting the Capitals on Saturday. By that point, the deadline will be in the past.
