To list this season as “meets expectations” for the Chicago Blackhawks would be generous to say the very least.
Any contenders will be buyers, whereas teams with the lowest marginal odds to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs will become sellers of their top pieces in order to help their talent land the best chance at winning a title and building their prospect/draft pick pool for the upcoming offseason and the foreseeable future offseasons.
RYAN DONATO
22 (12-10–22) of the Boston native’s 38 points on the season (19-19–38) have come in 39 of the Blackhawks’ 41 losses this season.
Filing into a role on the first line, right winging franchise keepsake Connor Bedard and his fellow young gun Landon Slaggert, Donato has had an overall bright season and provided next to exactly what management has been looking for when it comes to pairing with the next stars of the Blackhawks organization.
Given his unrestricted free agent status come the season’s end and his manageable $2 million cap hit, Donato makes all but perfect sense to be a trade chip at the deadline and could be exactly what a team is looking for as a fit for the third or fourth line winger to push production and help round out a lineup for a contention team.
ALEC MARTINEZ
Remember when the team signed Martinez, I mentioned the ability for him to become a chip at the deadline for movement to a contender that’s able to provide a return to Chicago that satisfies the front office?
Well, look at us now…
Now, was I right? … partially –
Martinez has only accrued nine points in 30 games this season for the Blackhawks, but his veteran presence at the blue line and the locker room, as well as his three Stanley Cup rings prove to be the key marks of what carries his value into the trade deadline and through to the other side wherever he may end up.
Winning less than three years ago with the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Martinez shows he can work with a plethora of talent and be a safety valve equivalent at the blueline, and a quarterback on power plays or penalty kills that many teams may find to be beneficial to their roster as the playoffs creep closer and the quest for Lord Stanley nears.
HM: TEUVO TERAVAINEN
Teravainen slotted right back into the Blackhawks lineup where he was after being drafted by the Blackhawks in 2012. The 30-year-old Finnish winger has spent time on the Blackhawks’ third line beside Captain Nick Foligno and year five veteran Ilya Mikheyev.
Tervanainen’s 41 points in 57 games (13-28- 41) have helped him cross the 500 career point threshold and cement him as an ultimate role player in rostered situations throughout his 727 games played.
Sitting second in points, Teravainen is posting his highest point total as Blackhawk, with 25 games to spare before the season concludes. Currently averaging .719 points per game, Teravainen is 19 points away from the 68-70 point range, breaking the 65 point threshold for the third season in his last 10 complete seasons.
The only downside to Teravainen is his contract. If one year were to remain, a team may be more likely to eagerly take away the 30-year-old from Chicago but could be a hindrance to his exit by the 7th.
SETH JONES
Feasible and Jones’ four remaining years at $9.5 million per year doesn’t go hand-in-hand, but Jones has been the hottest name on the trade block for Chicago since last season around the same time.
Reports have surfaced about Jones and the Blackhawks working together to find a suitor to allow him to land his best chance at winning a Stanley Cup ring for the first time in his 837 game career.
The veteran defenseman pacing at .65 PPG on the season (6-20–26) and .52 PPG in his career (96-335–431).
Whether the trade chip moved is Jones’ and 50% of his $9.5 Million contract is retained yearly or parting ways with Teravainen and Donato is what’s best for the Blackhawks to get their future squared away, what happens after the March 7 trade deadline holds little to no power over how the season ends for the Blackhawks, but how the next season begins starting at the draft.
The NHL’s trade deadline is March 7 at 3 PM EST (2 PM CST), and the Blackhawks play four games, split two on the road and two at home before the deadline.
ITR 27: Trade Season Begins – Inside The Rink
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