Now that we’ve seen the sun rise and set on the NHL Trade Deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks have a different feel to them as they head down the final stretch of the 2021 season. There’s still a lot of hockey left to play, but the Blackhawks are in a spot to look to the future, it’s what they did at the deadline.
Forwards:
Dominik Kubalík – Jonathan Toews – Philipp Kurashev
Brandon Hagel – Pius Suter – Dylan Strome
Brett Connolly – David Kämpf – Ryan Carpenter
Alex Nylander, Henrik Borgström
We still don’t know for sure what is going to happen with the health of Jonathan Toews. I’d like to be optimistic on the topic, so I figure he will be a go for the 2021-22 season with Chicago. The emergence of players like Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev, and Pius Suter will make it hard for the Blackhawks in their decision-making come free agency. Also, Henrik Borgström likely gets signed in the offseason and the Blackhawks have plans for him to be in the NHL lineup next season. With these things in mind, plus Chicago possibly giving Alex Nylander a second-chance next season, I think Adam Gaudette ends up not being re-signed (barring some kind of breakout in the final month of this season). Brett Connolly will likely be exposed in the Seattle expansion draft, but I don’t see him being selected from the pool of available Blackhawks, which will also likely include Calvin de Haan.