Blackhawks: How Stan Bowman created a successful retool

The 2017 offseason led to some major changes for the Blackhawks, but by far the biggest and most shocking change was to move Artemi Panarin to Columbus.

Artemi Panarin was one of the most polarizing players in the entirety of the National Hockey league during his time in Chicago, and since has established himself as one of the league’s true superstars. The chemistry that Patrick Kane and Panarin had was unmatched by any other duo in hockey. Even if it was just for two short seasons, Panarin became one of the most popular athletes in Chicago and it appeared that he would be in the city for years to come.It is baffling how the Hawks were never able to get past the first round with Panarin, as his first season with the club they were defending Stanley Cup Champions.

The Bread Man posted superstar-level numbers in Chicago, but many questioned whether his production was a consequence of playing with future Hall of Fame winger Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks certainly must have thought so as well, as Stan Bowman accepted a deal for the young Russian that is far below what he is worth today. Panarin went on to post magnificent numbers for the Blue Jackets and signed a massive 7-year, $81.5 million dollar contract with the Rangers this summer.

Although trading away a rising young star is never a good thing to do, especially for a poor return, there was no way the Blackhawks were going to be able to dish out a contract that carries an AAV of $11.6 million. This move was bad for Chicago on multiple levels, but to think that Panarin would still be a Hawk today if he weren’t traded to Columbus is simply too wishful of a thought.

The Blackhawks also shipped Tyler Motte and their 2016 6th rounder, which turned out to be Jonathan Davidsson. Motte spent a decent amount of time in the NHL with the Blackhawks but has yet to make any real impact in the NHL, as he only put up 16 points in 74 games to go along with a negative +/-. As for the 6th round selection in Jonathan Davidsson, he is currently 22 years old and has finally reached the NHL this season, playing 2 games so far and recording a point in one for Ottawa.

The return only relevant piece that the Blackhawks received in the blockbuster was Brandon Saad. In his second stint in the Windy City, Saad has put up decent numbers, but nothing close to the production that Panarin provided for the Blackhawks. Saad serves as a solid first-liner with Jonathan Toews and Alex Nylander, yet the 27-year-old has had a down year so far, recording only 12 points in 21 games.

Anton Forsberg was once thought of as a possible heir to Corey Crawford, but this could be not be further from the truth. In his one season with the Blackhawks, Forsberg started 30 games and only won 10 of them. He is currently in the Carolina Hurricanes system after being traded out of Chicago this summer. In addition, the 2018 5th round pick that ended up being Michael Callahan was never used by the Blackhawks, but rather moved to Arizona in another swap.

All-in-all, this deal was not one of the bright spots in Stan Bowman’s otherwise successful retooling of this roster.