Blackhawks: Three trade partners for Erik Gustafsson

The Chicago Blackhawks might be smart to sell high on Erik Gustafsson and there are some teams that he might fit in on more than others.

There would not be a better time than right now for the Chicago Blackhawks to trade Erik Gustafsson. He is a solid puck-moving defenseman but beyond that, he really doesn’t provide much else to the Blackhawks. He isn’t very good defensively and he has a knack for allowing opponents to drive through the middle of the ice to create scoring opportunities.

He fits into the Blackhawks style of play that they have started to use over the last few weeks, but he would thrive even more if he was on another team that had higher hopes this season. He would be a great third pair guy and power-play specialist on a team that is good enough to win the Stanley Cup. That is not the case with the Blackhawks right now so they would be wise to get something for him while his value is high. Other teams might also enjoy the fact that he is sort of on a team-friendly deal. If a good team was able to use him with a good shut down guy, he would be a good fit for them.

Moving Gustaffson would also allow the Blackhawks to call up Adam Boqvist and use him in the lineup every night. Boqvist is a great offensive defenseman as well, so he would essentially replace what Gustaffson brings with a much higher ceiling. They don’t have him up right now because he needs regular playing time and he is getting it with the Rockford Ice Hogs. If the Hawks were to trade Gustaffson, these three teams would be the best fit for him: