Hawks listening to trade offers, and rightfully so originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The 2022 NHL Draft is exactly one month away, and the Blackhawks are making it known they’re open for business.
Elliotte Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada that the Blackhawks are testing the value of everyone on their roster and they’re willing to listen to trade offers on just about anybody.
The players excluded from that list are franchise icons Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, both of whom have no-move protection and GM Kyle Davidson is already on record saying they won’t be dealt unless they want to. I’m also told that even though Seth Jones’ eight-year, $76 million contract with the Blackhawks doesn’t start until next season, his full no-movement clause has already kicked in, so he’s not going anywhere either.
That means players like Alex DeBrincat and Connor Murphy could draw interest from other teams this offseason, although it’s hard to envision the Blackhawks moving them unless they get their socks blown off like they did when the Tampa Bay Lightning offered a pair of first-round picks and two NHL players for Brandon Hagel. But it’s not impossible, and that’s where things could get interesting as we get closer to the July 7-8 draft.
This is the right approach for the Blackhawks, who are in the early stages of a longer-term rebuild. Nobody should be off-limits, especially when you don’t have a first-round pick in 2022.
A few teams to watch that have both significant cap space and a Top 10 pick in this year’s draft are the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators, all three of whom are looking to take the next step and become playoff teams next season. Buffalo, most notably, has three first-rounders, including the No. 9 overall selection.
The Devils and Senators will probably be in the market for a perennial top-six scoring winger, while the Sabres will surely try to lock down a right-handed shot defenseman to be reigning No. 1 overall pick Owen Power’s partner for years to come. New Jersey is reportedly open to trading the No. 2 overall pick as well. All three teams have the ammo to make a big splash, but the question is, will they? The Blackhawks’ phone line is open.
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