It is a shame that the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t able to play some of the East Division foes this season because those games are always a lot of fun. They will certainly play again in 2021-22 which should be interesting. We all know the Blackhawks didn’t make it to the playoffs this year but for some reason, Stan Bowman believes they are a good team. That might change this offseason which could cause the Blackhawks to become sellers.
The East Division has some teams that might make trades with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers missed the playoffs from the East. Those teams have trades to be made as well but the playoff teams (Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins) are more than likely in a better position to take advantage of the Blackhawks right now.
Chicago isn’t a good team and isn’t going to be a good team for a long time. The division will only get tougher next year when they realign back to their original divisions before COVID-19. The Seattle Kraken coming to the league is going to force the Arizona Coyotes into the Central which makes things even tougher. The Blackhawks, as constructed, should be in the last place of that division.
The 2022 NHL Draft is a very strong one. If the Hawks do things the right way, they can take advantage of that and get this rebuild started in the right direction. To do that, some trades might need to happen. These are three trades to consider with the East playoff teams: