The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the most active teams before Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline hit. They officially hit the rebuild button by trading away multiple veteran players on the roster, and are looking to rebuild the franchise in the draft. General manager Kyle Davidson will need to hit on these picks for the trade deadline to be successful. Let’s take a look at how one outlet believes they did this year.
The Chicago Blackhawks are ruled losers after the NHL Trade Deadline
The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus wrote an article discussing the winners and losers of the NHL Trade Deadline. One of the losers he wrote about were the Blackhawks. Below is what he said regarding the team:
“This is now nine consecutive seasons that the Blackhawks — once perennial buyers — have been on the selling side. GM Kyle Davidson did well to get a first-round pick out of his predecessor, Oilers GM Stan Bowman, by packaging Jason Dickinson (on an expiring contract) and Colton Dach (about to get squeezed out of the lineup by younger players with higher ceilings). Davidson also got decent value for Connor Murphy and earned brownie points with future free agents by doing right by Foligno, sending him to Minnesota to chase the Stanley Cup with his brother. But at some point, don’t the Blackhawks have to start adding to Connor Bedard, not just continue to take from him? Those brownie points don’t mean much if you never bring anybody of consequence in.”
He would continue to explain how building specifically through the draft does not work in the NHL.
“No team has ever successfully built solely through the draft. Every team overvalues its own young players, but at some point, you have to turn picks and prospects and players into assets. A 26-year-old established star in the hand has got to be worth two or three promising lottery tickets in the bush.”
The Blackhawks wound up getting a 2027 first-round and a 2028 second-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers, forward Andrew Mangiapane, and defenseman Derrick Pouliot. They traded away Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach, and Aidan Thompson. It will be intriguing to see how Chicago looks heading into the offseason and if they can turn the franchise around.
Chicago Blackhawks receive surprising grade for 2026 NHL Trade Deadline moves
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