\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 1, 2026\u00a0\u00a0(4:35 PM)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t ![\"Ilya](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/638937.webp.webp\" "\\"Ilya")
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Photo credit: Screenshot<\/p>\n
Ilya Safonov turning into a real option makes the Vancouver Canucks trade look brutal for the Chicago Blackhawks.<\/p>\n
That is basically code for \u201cwe got something for nothing,\u201d and it is aging worse for the Hawks by the week.<\/p>\n
Safonov is 24, a 2021 sixth-round pick, and Chicago originally took him 172nd overall.<\/p>\n
In his most recent KHL season before the trade, he put up 7-15-22 in 51 games, and his career KHL line sits at 49-46-95 across 263 games.<\/p>\n
The Hawks didn\u2019t just move a long-shot prospect here; they moved a 6-foot-4 center who is hitting his prime and still costs NHL pennies.<\/p>\n
Chicago can argue it cleared a contract slot, but they still sold the rights for a shrug instead of a pick.<\/p>\n
A true loss for general manager Kyle Davidson.<\/p>\n
That is the part that stings, because \u201cfuture considerations\u201d never helps you at the deadline or on draft weekend.<\/p>\n
Ilya Safonov gives the Vancouver Canucks real depth<\/p>\n
Canucks fans have been begging for low-cost forwards who play hard inside, and this feels like the kind of bet that usually happens to Vancouver, not for them.<\/p>\n
Safonov\u2019s value is simple, he lives around the crease, he can kill penalties, and he doesn\u2019t need top-six minutes to matter.<\/p>\n
If he signs an entry-level deal, Vancouver can slot him in the bottom six and still have room to spend on bigger needs.<\/p>\n
That kind of cap hit flexibility is gold when you are trying to keep your man advantage humming and your third line from bleeding chances.<\/p>\n
For Chicago, it is a straight loss of an asset they controlled, with no return that shows up on the board.<\/p>\n
The Canucks get a realistic shot at an NHL-ready body, and the Hawks get to watch from a distance.<\/p>\n
Now the real pressure shifts to Vancouver\u2019s camp, because if Safonov arrives and sticks, this \u201csmall\u201d trade becomes a loud one fast.<\/p>\n
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider<\/p>\n
POLL<\/p>\n
6 HOURS AGO|89 ANSWERS<\/p>\n
Trade completed between the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks: There’s now a clear winner<\/p>\n
Did the Chicago Blackhawks lose the Ilya Safonov trade with the Vancouver Canucks?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PUBLICATION Sam Walker February 1, 2026\u00a0\u00a0(4:35 PM) Photo credit: Screenshot Ilya Safonov turning into a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5115],"tags":[521,37,96,5263,5,181,11713,4,3613,27],"class_list":{"0":"post-440955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-blackhawks","8":"tag-blackhawks","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","11":"tag-chicagoblackhawks","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-hockey-news","14":"tag-ilya-safonov","15":"tag-nhl","16":"tag-trade","17":"tag-vancouver-canucks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115999149398991881","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}