Chicago Blackhawks make smart move trading for Calvin de Haan

The Chicago Blackhawks have made some questionable decisions lately but this trade promises to be a good one for the team going into 2019-20.

The Chicago Blackhawks have engaged in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. They have acquired defenseman Calvin de Haan and forward Aleksi Saarela from Carolina in exchange for goaltender Anton Forsberg and defenseman Gustav Forsling. The main piece in this trade is de Haan and it appears to be a good trade for the Blackhawks as they try to improve their defense for next season.

The Blackhawks had a really hard time keeping the puck out of their own net and they didn’t draft an immediate piece that can help as soon as next year so in addition to acquiring Olli Maata a few days ago, they traded for de Haan and they didn’t really give up to much for him. Forsling is a fringe NHL defenseman and Forsberg didn’t have too much success in net for the Blackhawks.

He is considered a defensive defenseman that can really help out in that area of helping keep the opponent from scoring. He had one goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 2018-19 so while he isn’t relied upon for offense, he can help move the puck and get a few points. He isn’t completely lost in the offensive zone by any means and he will probably make an impact on the blue line for the Blackhawks.

In addition to those numbers, he helped get the Carolina Hurricanes into the playoffs for the first time in ten years, where they made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They were swept by the Boston Bruins in that series but it was the end of a great season that nobody expected from them. They appear to be on the rise but they have now moved de Haan but there is probably another move to come for them in the coming days.

The Blackhawks now have a blue line that still needs work but it appears to be an upgrade from what it was in 2018-19. Hopefully, more good moves like this follow instead of those previously mentioned questionable ones.