NHL Trade: Blackhawks trade Bryan Bickell, Teuvo Teravainen to Hurricanes

The Blackhawks have traded forwards Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravianen to the Carolina Hurricanes for a second and a third round pick. 

Going into the 2016 offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks desperately needed cap space. The best way for them to do so was to trade Bickell. However, with Bickell being due $4.5 million next season, that was going to be hard to do. The Blackhawks have found a way to get rid of his contract by trading Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2016 second round pick and a 2017 third round pick.

“I would like to thank both Bryan and Teuvo for their contributions to the Blackhawks organization,” said Blackhawks Senior Vice President and General Manager Stan Bowman, via Blackhawks.com. “Both players were drafted by our organization and developed to play important roles on Stanley Cup championship teams. We wish them the best as they continue their careers with Carolina.”

This is a huge trade for Carolina, as they get a very promising young forward in Teravainen. Carolina has the cap space to take on all of Bickell’s contract, which surely helped them persuade the Blackhawks to give up Teravainen. The Hurricanes have a surplus of 2016 and 2017 draft picks, so they were in a position to give up a second round pick and a third round pick. Bickell is an after thought in this deal. The important piece is Teravainen.

Chicago gets some much-needed cap space but it comes at a very expensive price. With this new cap space, expect the Blackhawks to re-sign Andrew Shaw and explore extending Artemi Panarin.

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