Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
With the Chicago Blackhawks still mired near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, interim GM Kyle Davidson could be a seller by the March 21 trade deadline. However, don’t expect a fire sale of his best players.
Appearing on the NHL Network last Friday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported hearing nearly every Blackhawk was available except for Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Seth Jones. He doesn’t think they’ll part with winger Alex DeBrincat unless it’s for a substantial return.
The Athletic’s Scott Powers also reports the Blackhawks are in sell mode. He doesn’t see Kane or Toews moving unless they asked to be traded. Powers also indicated they’re not shopping DeBrincat but felt they would at least listen to offers. The same goes for younger players such as Kirby Dach, Lukas Reichel and Brandon Hagel.
Powers does see them peddling pending unrestricted free agents such as Marc-Andre Fleury and Calvin de Haan. He also believes restricted free agent Dominik Kubalik could be a trade candidate as he no longer fits into their long-term plans, though the $4 million it would take to qualify his rights could dampen his trade value.
Fleury could be their most valuable trade chip. He’s been linked to playoff hopefuls with weak goaltending such as the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals. The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell told Daily Faceoff she believes the Capitals are in on Fleury.
Davidson may be willing to listen to offers on most players but that doesn’t mean everyone must go or he’ll give away talent at discount prices. You want one of their better players, be prepared to make a substantial offer involving promising young players and draft picks.