The Chicago Blackhawks just keep reeling in the draft picks.
With their third draft-floor trade of the night, the Blackhawks grabbed yet another first-rounder from the Toronto Maple Leafs, acquiring the 25th overall pick in tonight’s draft along with goaltender Petr Mrazek in exchange for pick no. 38.
For the Maple Leafs, this was a pure cap dump that cost them 13 spots in the draft order. Not too shabby.
After a nightmare debut season in Toronto, Mrazek was an extremely pricey anchor on the Leafs’ books for the next two seasons, weighing them down at a time when they simply could not afford to overpay for any assets.
To then offload the entirety of his $3.8 million cap hit for only a slight slide down the draft board is some incredibly tidy business, especially when sources indicate that the Maple Leafs believe they can still pick the player they were targeting in the first round with the 38th overall pick in the first place.
In the Blackhawks’ case, this is a rebuilding team leveraging its financial flexibility and lack of contention aspirations to recoup young talent. Even if Mrazek doesn’t return to form over the final two years of his contract, it doesn’t really matter. The Blackhawks aren’t looking to win any time soon anyway. And by the time they are, defenseman Sam Rinzel, the player they took with pick no. 25, will be on the verge of debuting in the NHL.
The Blackhawks have been one of the busiest teams on the draft floor tonight. And they might not be quite done yet, either.
