Taylor Hall - Jan. 15 Chicago Blackhawks Media Availability

The Chicago Blackhawks are well out of the playoff race in the Western Conference and should already be thinking about selling assets and looking towards improving for next season. With that, there are a number of players that the team can move and get something in return for. Among those, the two highest valued rental players will likely be Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato.

Both players are expected to fetch around a third round pick at the trade deadline, which isn't exactly encouraging considering the Blackhawks are a clear seller, are rebuilding, and are at the bottom of the league. Sometimes third round picks turn into pieces of use, but oftentimes they don't and it's more difficult to hit on picks the further into the draft you go.

Values of players can change depending on what a team has to trade, what the market looks like when the Blackhawks decide to trade one or the other or both, and when the trade is made. If the Blackhawks wait until the last minute on trade deadline day to execute a trade, it's more likely they are going to get a worse return as the situation becomes 'make the trade for less or don't make the trade at all and likely lose the player in free agency.'

We've seen certain players go for more the earlier a trade is made. This gives the team acquiring the new player more time to get him acclimated into the lineup ahead of the playoffs and there haven't been trades to judge values off of yet.

I completely expect Hall to be traded, and so does he, but until a Donato trade is made, I am on the fence. Chicago could still use a player like him and he's only 28 years old. For their sake, I hope there are at least extension discussions with Donato.

Overall, third round picks work out less often than not, but in the case of the Blackhawks over the last five years, it's surprisingly good. The third round picks since 2020 include Landon Slaggert, Wyatt Kaiser, Taige Harding, Gavin Hayes, Samuel Savoie, Aidan Thompson, Nick Lardis, Jiri Felcman, John Mustard, AJ Spellacy, and Jack Pridham.

I recommend you remember the names of Slaggert, Kaiser (on the Blackhawks, so of course), Thompson, Lardis, Mustard, Spellacy, and Pridham. There might be another couple of third round picks that will surprise in the near future if Hall and Donato fetch those kinds of returns.

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