Stan Bowman took a big swing dealing Nick Schmaltz to Arizona for Dylan Strome and Brandon Perlini. The impact of this trade may not be immediate, however, the Blackhawks put themselves in a better position for the future.
Clearly, Chicago was ready to move on with Schmaltz and Arizona felt the same about Strome and Perlini. Right now Schmaltz is the better player involved in the trade but his style just didn’t resonate well with the Blackhawks. Strome and Perlini should have a higher ceiling but more is still left to be desired.
Strome has a lot to prove after being selected 3rd overall in the 2015 draft, a change in scenery and being reunited with former Erie Otter teammate Alex DeBrincat could be all it takes to get him rolling. Strome has the potential to be the type of big body center that the Blackhawks have sought after for a long time. He never really had a chance to show what he’s made of after a sheltered tenure in Arizona and I think the Blackhawks feel that they can bring the best out of him.
Perlini is the most underrated piece in the trade. He’s a big, fast skater that likes to shoot and has a knack for scoring the greasy goals. The impact of Perlini will be felt by the Blackhawks immediately with his physical presence. Perlini put together a nice season last year scoring 17 goals and 30 points and if he can recreate that for the Blackhawks it would be a big win.
What’s interesting is that most of the points Strome and Perlini have scored in Arizona have been on the power play and that’s good news for the Blackhawks. If anything the Blackhawks were able to add more depth to a shallow player pool.
Time will tell what this trade means to the Blackhawks.
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