Last week, the Chicago Blackhawks took a risk on a struggling veteran when they traded with the Seattle Kraken for left-wing Andrew Burakovsky. In 79 games with Seattle last season, Burakovsky, 30, scored just 37 points on 10 goals in 27 assists.
While the two-time Stanley Cup champion brings experience to a young forward group that includes Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, the Blackhawks need another quality player in the lineup. Because of an increase in the salary cap for all teams, Chicago isn’t expected to be a contender in free agency.
The Blackhawks’ best option to land a quality player is through the trade market, and one name linked to the team this offseason is JJ Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres.
Chicago Blackhawks receive bad news on JJ Peterka
Per Scott Powers of The Athletic, Chicago received bad news for their bid to trade for the 23-year-old wing.
“The Blackhawks have also reached out to the Buffalo Sabres about JJ Peterka,” Powers wrote. “As of now, the Sabres want a player of similar quality in exchange. Chicago doesn’t have that to offer.”
Powers believes that the Blackhawks might have a better chance to land a player like Peterka later this summer, but that’s the going price for an NHL player is another NHL player.
“It sounds like a lot of the trade talk going around the league right now is teams wanting established NHL players in exchange for established NHL players,” Powers wrote. “Maybe that changes around the draft and into free agency, but most teams seem to view themselves as a playoff team next season and are seeking players to help improve their NHL roster.”
Unfortunately, the Blackhawks have to be patient this summer, especially with the salary cap increasing. Frankly, Chicago’s future rests on how general manager Kyle Davidson performs in drafts.
But that’s not easy to sell to a fan base that has not seen the team earn more than 68 points in the 2020s.
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