The Blackhawks facilitated the largest in season trade we’ve seen in the NHL for some time last night, acting as a third party broker for cap retention and offloading veteran Taylor Hall. They had the smallest role, but perhaps the most important one. Without the 50% retention on Rantanen’s contract, this trade may have never made it to the finish line.
Just what was Kyle Davidson thinking here though? The Blackhawks helped both the Hurricanes and Avalanche make moves designed to further each of their own Stanley Cup aspirations. The Blackhawks continue to sputter near the bottom of the NHL standings and they made another rebuilding move here, acquiring a future asset for a veteran, a long shot prospect and some cap space.
Did the Blackhawks think they had to go beyond retaining half of Hall’s $6MM salary to get a 3rd RD pick at the deadline? That’s the only line of reasoning that makes eating half of Rantanen’s $9.25MM salary make sense. The move actually opens up cap space for the Blackhawks this season, but they have a ton already. Hall was a pending UFA so getting something for him makes sense. If they thought they could get a 4th or 5th for Hall on his own, was the upgrade to a third worth helping a division rival they need to pass in the standings (eventually)? Teambuilding Tenet #4: Climbing the Standings is Hard.
I don’t think the trade helped Colorado. They lost one of the best players in the league.
Carolina got a rental who they may not be able to re-sign. In fact, the Blackhawks could take a run at him.
It’s going to be a few years before Chicago can think about passing either of those teams in the standings and a lot can and will happen between now and then, including both those teams getting older. Taylor Hall had no place in the Blackhawks’ future. A pick at the beginning of the 3rd round is nothing to do back-flips over, but it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye. I’m not sure what you think they should have gotten for him – do you have some inside info on a better offer that was coming their way? Hall has not been good this year, outside of a few flashes. Maybe he’ll be better next year after a full year playing on the repaired knee.