The Chicago Blackhawks are six points out of a playoff spot and two games under .500, but are fighting to stay alive in the playoff race. Connor Bedard and a few other players have had breakout seasons and helped keep the team where they are, but at this time, the Blackhawks are still sellers for certain players.
If the first half of the season has shown anything, it's that the young players are ready to take this team by force and lead the Blackhawks to big heights. There are a number of veterans on the team, especially those on the last year of their deals, that are trade candidates.
According to Frank Seravalli, "The Blackhawks will very likely be trading Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy."
These are two players that make too much sense to move. Both have some value at the very least and they are both pending UFAs, so the Blackhawks could eat some of their cap hits with no sweat until the end of the season to get them moved and get assets back.
Murphy has been talked about more as a trade candidate this season, especially with all of the young defensemen pushing for spots in the NHL. He has been pushed to a limited role, but it is one he can play for a team looking to bolster the back-end/right side. In Murphy's 14th season, he has 51 hits and 70 blocked shots in 49 games. He is averaging the lowest ice time of his career at just over 16 minutes per game, but can play more as he's averaged 20:35 over the past seven seasons. His cap hit is $4.4 million AAV and he has a 10-team no-trade clause.
Dickinson had one very good season for the Blackhawks, but then other forwards were brought in and his role diminished. He is known for his two-way ability, so a playoff-bound team could really look closely at him to be a fourth-line center for them. He plays higher than that on the Blackhawks, but teams set to compete are in better positions than Chicago is.
Dickinson has no trade protection and in the final year of his deal at $4.25 million AAV. He has six goals and 10 points in 36 games, kills penalties, averages 15.5 minutes per game, and wins over 50% of faceoffs. In 2023-24, he finished 12th in Selke Trophy voting and scored 22 goals. His ability is there and he can definitely impact a game defensively.
The Blackhawks should trade more than just Dickinson and Murphy, but we'll have to wait and see which deals come about.
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