NHL Trade Rumors: Blackhawks shopping Trevor van Riemsdyk
The Chicago Blackhawks are making defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk available in a trade.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the NHL’s top teams for the past seven years. However, with their Stanley Cup window closing, patience is wearing thin for a few of their young players. One of them is defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Initially believed to be a part of replacing Johnny Oduya, van Riemsdyk has found himself a surplus defenseman as of late for the Blackhawks. Now the Blackhawks are reportedly shopping the defenseman.
"Chicago will try to get a forward. Trevor van Riemsdyk, who has played just one of three games, is available, but the Blackhawks may need to sweeten the pot."
Trading van Riemsdyk could be an interesting situation for the Blackhawks. They don’t have much cap space, limiting the return to either other cheap players or draft picks. However, they could also try to attach another contract to his deal, but not too many teams would be willing to take on some of their contracts.
Related Story: NHL Power Rankings Week 2
The fall from grace for van Riemsdyk has been swift. As recent as last season, van Riemsdyk averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. That has dropped to 16:06 of ice time per game, though he has played in just one game this season.
There could be some fits for van Riemsdyk. The Edmonton Oilers have a need for a right-handed defenseman even after the addition of Adam Larsson. Also, the Arizona Coyotes are looking for a right-handed shot. While they are reportedly looking for a top four defenseman, adding van Riemsdyk for cheap could be a nice way to add to their defensive depth. The Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils would also make sense for the young defenseman. Both teams need to add to their defensive depth, and van Riemsdyk certainly has potential.