Chicago Blackhawks News: Vinnie Hinostroza is back via trade

The Chicago Blackhawks are making a move that is going to excite a lot of people. They are bringing home Vinnie Hinostroza from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Brad Morrison. Morrison was acquired in the trade that sent Olli Maatta to the Los Angeles Kings. It is an interesting trade to make as the Hawks look for a boost in their lineup. Hinostroza is a local kid coming back as he comes from Bartlett, Illinois.

Vinnie Hinostroza should be able to help the Chicago Blackhawks forward depth.

Hinostroza first left the Blackhawks when they traded him with Marian Hossa and Jordan Oesterle to the Arizona Coyotes. He then signed a deal with the Florida Panthers back in October of 2020. He didn’t have much success there as he had no points in nine games playing for Joel Quenneville’s team. You have to figure that he will get a bit of a boost coming back to play for the Hawks.

He is considered to be an offensive player so they are going to need him to score a little bit. He has shown that he can at the NHL level as there have been some productive years in his career. His best season came in 2018-19 playing for Arizona when he scored 16 goals and added in 23 assists for 39 points.

That is not bad production at all for a former 6th round pick that the Hawks (and Coyotes) did a great job developing. In his career as a whole, he has 34 goals and 66 assists for 100 points in 255 career games. That level of production could really help Chicago’s middle-six pick it back up.

It is fair to wonder where he will fit into this group. With Kirby Dach coming back, it would make sense to try him on his wing. Hinostroza is a natural centerman but they might get more out of him playing on the wing. If a big statured centerman like Dach had a skill-player like Vinnie on his wing, that might really help him get going.

Getting him time on either power-play unit might be a smart idea as well. He has the ability to make good passes and score goals in tight which has the makings of a good power play forward. He might be able to help the second unit by adding some extra skills to the mix.

As the trade deadline approaches, the team’s main goal should be to get younger. That might mean trading some of their expiring contracts (Mattias Janmark, Carl Soderberg) to Stanley Cup contenders to make room for guys like Hinostroza. This is a very exciting move because a local kid gets to come back and start over with the team that brought him up. Hopefully, this is one that works out for both sides.