With recent extensions for Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson and Petr Mrazek, fans and pundits are wondering who is left for the Chicago Blackhawks to move ahead of the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline. We’re still five weeks away, but it’s never too early to speculate which players general manager Kyle Davidson could move for a decent return.
With that in mind, here are three players who could be traded ahead of the deadline.
Colin Blackwell
It’s unlikely you’ll see Colin Blackwell on any of the “Big Trade Boards,” or whatever they call it nowadays, but the 30-year-old forward is worth mentioning. He didn’t make his season debut until Dec. 19 – he had surgery for a sports hernia in March 2023, but setbacks during his recovery over the summer delayed his return – but he arrived with a bang. Literally.
We can debate the legality of the hit, but when the snow melts and the referees put their whistles away in the postseason, players like Blackwell – who aren’t afraid to lay the body – are valuable. At 5-foot-9, you won’t put size on his LinkedIn page, but he has piss and vinegar, and those ingredients are always in the recipe to win a championship.
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Blackwell isn’t producing a ton of points, with three goals and six points through 20 games (as of Jan. 29), but he’s capable of handling defensive responsibilities. With several injuries hitting the roster, he’s been given second- and third-line minutes, averaging 15:13 of ice time, far and away the most of his career. If he can prove himself in this role, lots of teams will be willing to give up a mid-round pick to beef up their bottom-six forward corps.
Blackwell is also a pending unrestricted free agent who will likely try to find a slight pay bump from his $1.2 million per season salary, which should be incentive enough for the Blackhawks to trade him.
Jarred Tinordi
Another player with some bite who can provide a bit of snarl in the postseason – or at least provide some depth – is defenseman Jarred Tinordi. He’s 6-foot-6 on Monday, and he’s 6-foot-6 on the weekend. No, the No. 22 overall pick from the 2010 NHL Entry Draft (Montreal Canadiens) has never played more than 44 games in an NHL season (in 2022-23 with the Blackhawks), but he’s not afraid to throw a cross-check against an opponent’s back and can take up the space that becomes so valuable in the playoffs.
That style of game may be on its way out of the NHL, but I repeat, in April and May, as we get deeper into the post-season, coaches don’t mind someone with a bit of “eff you” in their game: just ask Blackhawks’ head coach Luke Richardson.
Also, let’s be honest, the team has a plethora of young blueliners who, on a rebuilding squad, should be getting ice time. Kevin Korchinski, Isaak Phillips, Wyatt Kaiser, Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier – all under 23 years old – have made their mark on both the Blackhawks and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. As the season winds down, Chicago should give all of them ample opportunity to play big minutes in different situations as they prepare for the future.
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Tinordi is 31 and hasn’t played on a contending team before. He deserves to be part of a playoff run and moving him would open up space for younger players. Also, since his one-year contract expires at the end of the season (and what’s more appealing than an expiring contract?), the Blackhawks could be able to eat half of his $1.25 million salary. All of a sudden, a depth defenseman on a pro-rated $625,000 deal can fetch a mid- to late-round draft pick.
Blackhawks’ Salary Cap Space
No, this isn’t a player, but hear me out: similar to last season, when the Blackhawks acquired Nikita Zaitsev – and a second-round pick sweetener from the Ottawa Senators so they could absorb his contract – the Blackhawks have nearly $10 million to make a similar move this season. It’s not the sexy choice, and I’m sure fans and pundits (myself included) would prefer the team added bonafide NHLers instead of bloated contracts. But, couldn’t they be both?
Remember when the team acquired Dickinson on the eve of the 2022-23 regular season? The Vancouver Canucks weren’t satisfied with him just one year into his three-year, $7.95 million contract and shipped him out of town. They were even willing to part with a second-round pick to get someone to take his $2.65 million-per-year salary.
What the Blackhawks got was a reliable middle-six forward who has since become one of their more productive players, earning a two-year extension worth $4.25 million per year. Davidson and his management team should be scouting which player(s) are in similar situations and which teams could use the extra cap space ahead of the deadline.
Whatever happens, the Blackhawks are near the bottom of the league standings and won’t be making any blockbuster moves before the trade deadline. But Davidson and management are locked in with these extensions, signalling to fans that these players will be with this club for the foreseeable future. They could have traded them and acquired other assets, but they see them as more valuable with the club than elsewhere.
It’s now up to the players, management and the coaching staff to see if they can make something happen with this group. A healthy version of this team, including Connor Bedard, should be better than the bottom of the standings.
Well, you can only hope.