3 players for Chicago Blackhawks to trade over the summer
94. . LW. Chicago Blackhawks. Alex DeBrincat. 12. player
Trading Alex DeBrincat now would be a smart move for the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Chicago Blackhawks have developed Alex DeBrincat nicely. He fell to them in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft because of his height. It is absolutely ridiculous but if he was a few inches taller he would have been picked in the top ten.
The Hawks have seen his skills translate to the NHL nicely and now he is an All-Star caliber player. The Blackhawks have been lucky to have him for the last handful of years but trading him this summer could lead to a brighter future.
After the 2022-23 season is over, DeBrincat’s rather team-friendly deal will be up and he will be looking for a new contract. Now that he is a proven 40 goal scorer (with an even higher ceiling than that), he could be looking for a very lucrative contract.
The Blackhawks have to ask themselves if they give DeBrincat an 8-9 million dollar deal over eight years, will the team get rebuilt in time with DeBrincat making that much money (and actually being worth it)?
The answer could be yes but it is most likely no. It is hard to rebuild with multiple players on the roster making north of eight million a year. Trading DeBrincat over the summer, while he has a whole year left on his deal, could land the Blackhawks a lot of draft/prospect capital.