Another reported Blackhawks trade came to light minutes after the deadline passed on Friday afternoon, with the deal involving Chicago’s opponent for Friday night.
In a salary cap move, Chicago sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Utah Hockey Club in exchange for the contract belonging to Shea Weber, forward Aku Räty and defenseman Victor Söderström. All of this per Utah beat reporter Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports:
Utah has traded Shea Weber to Chicago (whom they play tonight).
To Chicago:
Victor Söderström
Aku Räty
Shea Weber
To Utah:
2026 6th-round pick#UtahHC #Blackhawks
— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) March 7, 2025
Let’s start with the most familiar name in Weber, who was a former divisional nemesis for the Blackhawks during his long tenure with the Nashville Predators. He hasn’t skated since the 2020-21 season, though, and the Blackhawks will use his cap hit of just over $7.85 million to help it reach the salary cap floor next season. Weber will be on the Hawks payroll next season as a player despite being enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024.
The other two pieces involved won’t inspire anything major. Räty is a 23-year-old forward who was originally selected in the fifth round (151st overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. He had one assist in his only NHL game which came during the 2023-24 season and he has 19 points (4 G, 15 A) in 50 AHL games this season. He was far more productive in the AHL last season, with 44 points (15 G, 29 A) in 50 games.
Söderström, who turned 24 on Feb. 26, is a former first-round pick (11th overall) of Utah in the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s played 82 NHL games across four seasons with 17 points (2 G, 15 A) and an average ice time of 16:10. Söderström played in just three NHL games last season, though, and has spent this hockey season back in his native Sweden where he has 36 points (9 G, 27 A) in 47 games with Brynas IF. He currently has no NHL contract since heading back to Sweden but Chicago now has first rights for negotiating a contract should Söderström attempt an NHL return.
The immediate reaction suggests neither Räty nor Söderström figure to be part of any future Chicago rosters given their current ages and development tracks. As mentioned above, the nearly $8 million of Weber’s contract will help the Hawks meet the salary cap floor next season. But still feels like taking on that much of a cap hit for the rest of this season and the next should yield a little more in return than that, doesn’t it?