Last week, Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson warned the fan base that the team might be as aggressive as many in the media thought they’d be coming off a season where they posted the league’s second-worst record.
Despite having the fifth-most cap space in the NHL this offseason, Chicago isn’t at a place in the rebuild where they want to sign premium talent, only to see such players decline when the young core is ready to compete in the postseason. Davidson wants to explore the trade market for an NHL player under contract, but suggested that appealing deals are hard to find.
A projected trade sends Michael Misa to the Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks could be aggressive in adding talent in another way this offseason. Davidson wants to build through the draft, and Tab Bamford of Bleacher Nation projected Chicago to trade up to No. 1 in his latest mock draft.
Bamford thinks Lukas Reichel, the 2025 No. 3 pick, and the Florida Panthers’ No. 1 pick in 2026 would be enough to swap the No. 1 pick to the New York Islanders so the Blackhawks can draft Michael Misa.
“The Blackhawks have been rumored to be aggressively trying to move up from No. 3 to 1 to get Misa,” Bamford wrote. “The Islanders have a potential star in this draft who grew up a fan of theirs, but who they could probably get a few spots later than first overall while adding other assets to bring a new brand of hockey to the franchise under their new GM.
“Reichel, a former first-round pick, is one of the faster players in the league and has one more year of control at just a $1.2M cap hit.”
Help for Connor Bedard
Misa, a left-handed shooter, could fill in at center or left wing. Where he fits in for Chicago would be determined by whether new head coach Jeff Blashill sees Connor Bedard as a center or wing.
While Misa wouldn’t offer the Blackhawks an immediate boost in the win column like a veteran player, a trade of this kind would be beneficial for a team that’s trying to build a strong core through the draft. A pairing of Misa and Bedard could be like what Chicago had with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane during their last dynasty.
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Chicago Blackhawks ‘exploring options’ to fix 1 key position in free agency: Report
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