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Deadline Primer 2023

Trade Deadline Primer: Chicago Blackhawks

at CDT | by 9 Comments

With the All-Star break now upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Just like the Anaheim Ducks, who we covered yesterday, the aim for Chicago is to lose as many games as possible down the stretch. The coaching staff won’t be trying to lose, meaning the front office will have to do the work for them by stripping the roster of as much NHL talent as possible.

That doesn’t mean just older players on expiring contracts, either. General manager Kyle Davidson has made it clear with the trades of Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, and Kirby Dach that he’s gutting this team before building it up with the players he chooses. Contract term or youth doesn’t mean off-limits for the Blackhawks, who are one of the most interesting teams to watch over the next few weeks.

Record

15-29-4, 8th in the Central

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$16.06MM today, $26.77MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: CHI 1st, TBL 1st, CHI 2nd, TBL 2nd, CHI 3rd, DAL 3rd, CHI 4th, CHI 5th, CHI 7th
2024: CHI 1st, TBL 1st, CHI 2nd, VAN 2nd, CHI 3rd, OTT 3rd, CHI 5th, CGY 5th, CHI 6th, CHI 7th

Trade Chips

All eyes are on Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who are coming to the end of their matching eight-year, $84MM contracts. Both have full no-movement clauses, meaning they can control their destiny, and both have $10.5MM cap hits with barely any actual salary left to pay out. These are two Blackhawks legends who have won three Stanley Cup championships, multiple individual awards, and have never suited up for another team.

In a normal situation, it would be easy to assume they re-sign and spend their entire careers in Chicago. But this isn’t a normal situation, and it appears that new homes are coming for them one way or another. If it’s going to come in the summer anyway, perhaps Kane and Toews agree to help the franchise they have dedicated themselves to for so long, and waive their protection to bring assets back to the Blackhawks. But they won’t be easy trades to pull off given those massive cap hits.

Beyond the two franchise icons there are a number of other pieces that should be in play. Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou signed one-year, $3MM deals last summer that immediately looked like deadline bait, while defensemen like Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe have seen their names in trade rumors. The latter two both have significant term left on their contracts (Murphy is signed through 2025-26 and McCabe through 2024-25), making them a little more complicated than a deadline rental deal, but could still be strong additions for contenders looking to beef up the back end.

What about Stanley Cup champion Jack Johnson, who is on an expiring deal of his own? Or Sam Lafferty, signed through next year at a reasonable amount and enjoying a nice season in Chicago?

Other potential trade chips: D Ian Mitchell, G Alex Stalock, F Philipp Kurashev

Team Needs

1) Draft picks: The Blackhawks aren’t trying to rebuild on the fly. They don’t need NHL-ready talent. It’s all about the draft, and how they can build up a class of players to support what will likely be several top-five picks over the next few years. If they can secure the next potential Kane and Toews – Connor Bedard and Michael Misa, for instance – they’ll need to find all the support players that are required to really contend. That’s what you can get at the deadline, and that’s what they’ll be after.

2) Potential flips: Don’t think that Chicago didn’t notice the way the Arizona Coyotes had dealt with a player like Shayne Gostisbehere. They had cashed in when acquiring him, and were about to cash in again at the deadline, had he not been injured. Acquiring a good player on a bad contract (along with a sweetener) just to turn around and sell him down the road after powerplay time boosts his numbers? Sounds like a recipe for success, and exactly the kind of opportunity that the Blackhawks front office will be looking for.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Primer: Anaheim Ducks

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With the All-Star break now upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We begin our look around the league with the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s another lost season for the Ducks, who have been out of it since the summer. Last year, the team shed long-time core pieces like Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Rickard Rakell, and they’re poised to do a similar sell-off this time around.

With the ultimate prize of Connor Bedard waiting for whoever wins the lottery, losing every game down the stretch might actually be an ideal scenario. You might see some shocking lineups in Anaheim before the season is over.

Record

16-29-5, 8th in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$36.29MM today, $61.34MM in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, BOS 2nd, COL 2nd, ANA 3rd, MIN 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th
2024: ANA 1st, ANA 2nd, BOS 2nd, ANA 3rd, ANA 4th, ANA 5th, ANA 6th, ANA 7th

Trade Chips

More than anything else, the Ducks have cap space. They can easily take on some bad contracts, or act as the middleman in a salary retention transaction to secure a few more assets.

But player-wise, they still have a number of interesting chips.

It starts with John Klingberg, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason with the expectation of a move at the deadline. The two sides even built in a no-trade clause that would modify in the middle of the year, giving him the ability to list 10 teams he’s willing to go to. The problem is that Klingberg has played rather poorly, has just 17 points in 42 games, and still carries a hefty cap hit even if the Ducks retain half of it.

Klingberg may not get the return that the Ducks had hoped for when they agreed to the one-year, $7MM deal, but he does still seem likely to be moved at some point. Fellow right-handed defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is also a pending free agent, as is Dmitry Kulikov. They play very different styles but could be of use to contenders looking to beef up their defensive depth.

Upfront, attention will certainly be paid to Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg, who both are signed through next season. The veteran forwards are versatile enough to help out a third line, and cheap enough (with retention) that they could be attractive targets.

But don’t forget about some of the younger forwards too. Max Comtois is a pending RFA and has fallen out of favor in Anaheim, playing fewer than 14 minutes a night this season. The 6’2″ winger plays a greasy game that might have a home in the playoffs, even if his offense has almost completely dried up over the last two years.

Even Anthony Stolarz, who has struggled behind a terrible team this season, could be a potential depth goaltending target for teams looking at bringing in a third option. The 29-year-old did post a .917 save percentage last season and is on an expiring deal worth just $950K. With Lukas Dostal the future in Anaheim, and John Gibson still locked up long-term, Stolarz probably doesn’t have much of a future with the Ducks.

Other potential trade chips: F Derek Grant, F Frank Vatrano, D Nathan Beaulieu

Team Needs

1) Draft picks: The Ducks are still years away from becoming a successful program again, even with the young talented forwards already in the NHL. Adding a bunch of draft picks – especially ones for 2023 – will help accelerate that transition. Basically, anyone that’s on an expiring contract should be shown the door, for whatever mid or late-round draft capital they can acquire.

2) Young centers: Last season, the Ducks acquired defensive prospect Drew Helleson, and young defenseman Urho Vaakanainen in deadline deals. This year, they should be looking to make the same kind of move with the middle of the ice in mind. It’s not that the cupboard is bare at the center – far from it – but building from there will only help them in the long run, even if they need to shift players over at the NHL level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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