The Chicago Blackhawks and the rest of the NHL have the NHL Trade Deadline. At 2 PM CT on Friday, teams can no longer make trades.
Chicago is identified as a seller based on their record this season. The playoffs are not happening for them and it’s another deadline season of them looking toward the future.
Chicago has already traded Taylor Hall and Seth Jones away. Is anyone else going to follow them out the door? A few good players on expiring deals may go, but nothing is certain. These are the five burning questions that should be answered by the deadline.
1. Does the current market make them consider trading Alec Martinez?
We’ve seen some depth defensemen around the league traded for large hauls. For example, the Anaheim Ducks got a prospect drafted in the third round and a second-round pick from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Brian Dumoulin on Thursday.
Does that mean the Blackhawks could get a similar return for Alec Martinez, an aging veteran with big-time playoff experience? We will know by the deadline.
2. Will Ryan Donato stay or go?
Even more than defensemen, forwards are landing huge hauls. Everyone in the league needs middle-six help. First and second-round picks are flying for these players.
The Blackhawks have to be at least considering a Ryan Donato trade now that the market is what it is. He’s been highly productive this season, especially at even strength, which makes him attractive to contenders.
This is the biggest question for the Blackhawks at this time. It sounds like they want to extend him but they may get an offer they can’t refuse. Will he stay or will he go?
3. Does Petr Mrazek stick around?
The Blackhawks have committed to a two-goalie rotation. Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom are scheduled to rotate the net down the stretch, leaving Petr Mrazek out.
Mrazek is not upset about it and is willing to help these guys as long as he’s in Chicago. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t welcome a trade that earns him more playing time. We’ll see if Kyle Davidson can do that for him.
4. Is anyone else on the table to be traded by the Blackhawks?
Will the Blackhawks trade anyone who isn’t in the general conversation? Craig Smith, Connor Murphy, and Pat Maroon are candidates, but the Hawks also need players to play the final games of the season. One, two, or none could go, but we won’t know for sure until the pencils are down at 2 p.m.
5. Will Chicago trade for a Connor Bedard linemate?
The Chicago Blackhawks could also buy at the deadline in one instance. That would be getting Connor Bedard a legit linemate to play with on the top line. He has sorely missed that during his NHL career so far. Giving up picks and prospects for that reason could help him in the long term. Will they do that now or wait until the summer?
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