The Chicago Blackhawks have made some unexpected signings recently. As a bottom-feeder, it was expected that the team would be selling their upcoming UFAs in order to get more assets in the rebuild. But with Connor Bedard speeding up this rebuild, it seems as though the team has liked a few pieces enough to sign them early instead of dealing them away. The three players who were recently signed include Petr Mazek, Nick Foligno, and Jason Dickinson.
With these former top trade candidates off the board, let’s look to the next batch of players that the Blackhawks will now need to ship around to gain something at the trade deadline this season. While the team has a very strong prospect pool, they aren’t in the playoff race and it only makes sense to sell what they still can.
Anthony Beauvillier
Anthony Beauvillier was acquired this season by the Vancouver Canucks in a trade that worked for both sides at the time. The Canucks needed a team to take on Beauvillier’s full cap hit and the Blackhawks were struck with lots of injuries and needed bodies. This worked for a time, but he then joined a number of the other players in the IR.
Beauvillier has a wrist injury and it is unknown when he will return to the lineup. The hope is that it isn’t too much longer before he gets back into games. Since the 26-year-old winger is a UFA at the end of the season, the Blackhawks can dangle him at half price ($2.075 million AAV) to a contender. While over $4 million AAV for him is a lot considering he hasn’t scored at a great rate this season, if the Blackhawks retain half of his cap hit, that is a good deal and they could get a mid-round draft pick.
Ryan Donato
Ryan Donato has impressed this season for the Blackhawks. At times, he has stepped up and played on the top line. In reality, he is a pretty good depth piece that can get on the scoresheet. He has six goals and 14 points this season, so over a full season that is more than 10 goals and 25 points. Not bad for a fourth liner on a playoff contender.
Donato won’t cost very much for a team to acquire and his cap hit is fairly low. He can also play all three forward positions, making him a more valuable asset and able to be moved to more teams. Donato still has a year left on his deal and can fill in wherever needed. He put up 30 goals over the past two seasons for the Seattle Kraken, so he has more than proved himself as a depth piece that can add offense.
Tyler Johnson
Like Beauvillier, Johnson is injured at the moment, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be back before the trade deadline. Similar to Beauvillier as well, the Blackhawks will have to eat half of Johnson’s salary if they are going to be able to move him. A contender would love to have that type of player in the bottom-six for a Cup run considering Johnson has been there before.
Related: 3 Trade Destinations for Blue Jackets’ Patrik Laine
He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and has played 116 playoff games. Johnson may not be the very strong top to middle-six player he once was, but his presence, experience, versatility, and two-way play would help out any team he would be dealt to. He is a UFA after the season and it is unlikely the Blackhawks just decide to keep him without trying to move him. At half his cap hit, a contender could pick him up for $2.5 million AAV. That’s not horrible if they have a little bit of cap space lying around and have a need for a forward.
