Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson might never have a trade deadline like this again.
For one, he likely won’t have to trade a franchise icon anytime in the near future. Just imagine if he had had to trade two of them.
Overall, Davidson made nine trades. The biggest names he traded away were Patrick Kane, Max Domi, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty and Jack Johnson. What he brought in was largely draft picks. Of note, he added a first-round pick, a conditional second-round pick (which could become a first) and three more second-round picks.
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From the first trade to the last, here’s how we grade Davidson for each deal ahead of this season’s trade deadline.
1. Patrick Kane (50 percent retained) and Cooper Zech to the Rangers for a 2023 conditional second-round draft pick, 2025 fourth-round pick and Andy Welinski. Blackhawks also acquire Vili Saarijarvi from the Coyotes.
Powers: I know people are hung up on the Blackhawks not getting enough for Kane, but, honestly, I’m surprised they got this much. Rangers general manager Chris Drury knew the corner Davidson was in, and Drury could have made this a lot worse for Davidson and the Blackhawks. Can you imagine if this trade was for just a third- or fourth-rounder? Maybe some of that was Drury’s respect for Kane, but that’s the return I was expecting once it came down to only one team. B
Lazerus: Objectively, this is an awful return for arguably the greatest player in franchise history, one who’s less than a year removed from a 92-point season and who had seven goals and three assists in his last four games for the Blackhawks. Hip schmip. But we all know the context here and how little leverage Davidson had. Davidson accomplished two important things: He managed to get the possibility of a first-rounder (it becomes a 2024 or 2025 first-rounder if the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference finals) and he showed every future free agent in the league that he’ll do right by you. That last part is key and could pay off down the road when it’s time to start adding talent again. B-minus
What is Patrick Kane worth in a trade?
Even with doubts cast on him due to his nagging hip injury this season, he’s still worth a lot.
So why did the Blackhawks get so little in return for him?@MarkLazerus and @ByScottPowers on how the trade went down:https://t.co/JC4iDcHKZ2
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) March 1, 2023
2. Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe (50 percent retained), a 2024 conditional fifth-round pick and a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick to the Maple Leafs for a 2025 conditional first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev
Lazerus: This was a tidy bit of business by Davidson. Lafferty is a useful player whose game should translate well to the postseason, and McCabe is a nice second-pairing piece who brings a little snarl to the Leafs. But neither of them was likely to bring back a first-rounder on his own, even with Davidson retaining salary on McCabe. By packaging them, Davidson got the first. And that’s all that matters in this whole exercise: piling up first-rounders. This one’s not until 2025, and the hope by then is the Blackhawks will be far enough along that they can be the ones using it as a trade chip to bolster their roster for a playoff push. A-minus
Powers: If you had told the Blackhawks before the season they were going to get first- and second-round picks for Lafferty and McCabe, they probably wouldn’t have believed you. I mean, the Blackhawks were offered a late-round pick for Lafferty at the deadline last season. Even this season, there were teams who were looking to add McCabe at a very low price. Sure, Lafferty and McCabe played themselves into a different tier, but this feels like Davidson’s best move yet, being able to package them together for higher picks. A
3. Jack Johnson to the Avalanche for Andreas Englund
Lazerus: Englund is 27, so he might not fit the long-term plans in Chicago. But he had a nice season in Colorado, finally establishing himself as a bonafide NHLer. To get anything more than a seventh-rounder or future considerations for Johnson — a great guy who was having an all-time awful season — was quite surprising. But this was more about doing right by Johnson, who was a consummate professional in his short time in Chicago. This trade means virtually nothing in the long run. It was a favor. B
Powers: The Blackhawks did a good thing for Johnson. I don’t see Englund being in the Blackhawks’ future. C
The Avalanche acquired Jack Johnson from the Blackhawks on Sunday, sending Andreas Englund back to Chicago.https://t.co/byIZDszBjh
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 27, 2023
4. Josiah Slavin to the Ducks for Hunter Drew
Powers: This felt like another move where Davidson was doing right by a player. Slavin probably didn’t have a future with the Blackhawks, but he might somewhere else. I don’t anticipate Drew being part of the future, either. C
Lazerus: There was a brief stint last season where Slavin looked like a future Marcus Kruger — a penalty-killing, fourth-line linchpin. So much for that. Nothing to see here. C
5. Future considerations to the Senators for Nikita Zaitsev, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick
Lazerus: This is how you do it when you’re rebuilding — you sell your cap space to the highest bidder. Ottawa needed to clear room to acquire Jakob Chychrun, and Chicago had room to spare. Zaitsev, signed through next season at $4.5 million, helps the Blackhawks get to the cap floor and gives them a veteran warm body on the back end while their prospects continue developing. And the Blackhawks get two draft picks, including a second-rounder, for their trouble. Well done. A
Powers: This is definitely the best use of the Blackhawks’ cap space. What I’m curious about, though, is how Zaitsev fits on the Blackhawks next season. I could see a situation where Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski are in the lineup next season. I thought how McCabe was playing, it made sense to keep someone like him around to play with the younger defensemen. Zaitsev hasn’t performed that well in recent years, which is obviously why he has been traded twice since signing his current contract. B
6. Future considerations to the Sabres for forward Anders Bjork
Powers: “Future considerations” has been a nice asset for the Blackhawks at the deadline. Sorry. The Blackhawks brought in Bjork to fill a roster spot at the NHL level in the present and potentially join the IceHogs for their playoff push down the road. The IceHogs have been losing a lot of their players to the NHL lately due to trades and injuries, and this should help fix this issue. Bjork did also play for IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen at the Chicago Mission growing up. B
Lazerus: I mean, sure, yeah. Anders Bjork. OK. C
7. Dylan Sikura to the Ducks for Maxim Golod. Connected to that deal, the Rockford IceHogs sent future considerations to the San Diego Gulls for Rocco Grimaldi and Logan Nijhof.
Powers: The Blackhawks did this trade to bolster their IceHogs lineup for a playoff run. Sikura has been fine this season, but he hasn’t been as dominant in the AHL as in the past. In Grimaldi, who is on an AHL contract, the IceHogs receive one of the AHL’s top producers. He’s tied for a league-leading 27 goals. This should help the IceHogs’ offense. A
Lazerus: Anything that makes the IceHogs better is a smart move at this point. The Blackhawks would much rather have their younger players playing meaningful games in the AHL than meaningless games in the NHL. Hey, remember when Stan Bowman deemed Sikura the Blackhawks’ big deadline acquisition five years ago? Ah, good times. A-minus
8. Max Domi and Dylan Wells to the Dallas Stars for a 2025 second-rounder and Anton Khudobin.
Lazerus: I like how Davidson has spread out the bevy of draft picks he’s acquired. Rather than just have six or seven second-rounders in 2023, he’s got four this year, then two each of the following three years. Not only does that help guard against having all his prospects on a similar timeline (which would mean them all needing a raise at the same time), but it also gives him draft capital down the road that can be used to acquire players at the deadline if and when the Blackhawks emerge from the rebuild as contenders again. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But that is the thinking. I suspect Domi will be back next season, too. He’s been nomadic for years and really seemed comfortable in Chicago. And he’s very much a Luke Richardson-style player. B-plus
Powers: This trade made sense in the big picture, but I do think it’s a slight gamble if the Blackhawks want to re-sign Domi. There’s no saying Domi doesn’t fall in love with the Stars and the other way around. It’s how it worked out with the Blackhawks this season. The Stars are probably the more attractive team in the short term, too. Still, the Blackhawks got a second-rounder for Domi, and that was the plan all along. He fetched a lot less at the deadline last year. A
The Blackhawks are trading forward Max Domi to the Stars for goaltender Anton Khudobin and a 2025 second-round pick, Dallas announced Thursday.
Who’s left in Chicago and what does the future hold for Domi?
Analysis on the trade from @MarkLazerus: https://t.co/W1PDiifedS
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) March 3, 2023
9. Future considerations to Kings for Austin Wagner.
Powers: Wagner is another addition for the IceHogs. He’s also on an expiring contract. That’s been a trend with the Blackhawks’ moves. I didn’t expect to grade so many AHL moves. B
Lazerus: Well, nobody can argue the Blackhawks aren’t considering the future after this deadline. B
(Top photo of Patrick Kane and Max Domi: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
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