Report card grades for all 31 NHL teams at the trade deadline

Chicago Blackhawks: B

For the first time in a long time, the Chicago Blackhawks were sellers at the deadline. They were not looking for players to add to help them win a Cup; instead they were looking for players who could provide draft value. The Blackhawks moved Tommy Wingels to Boston, Ville Pokka to Ottawa, Michal Kempny to Washington and, most surprisingly, Ryan Hartman to the Nashville Predators. Hartman has been performing well for the Blackhawks, but Stan Bowman still decided he had to go.

Chicago traded Hartman to the Nashville Predators for a 2018 first-round pick, prospect Victor Ejdsell and a 2018 fourth-round pick. Chicago knew that Hartman was one of the more valuable young players on its roster, so it had to capitalize. Add in those picks for Hartman with the 2019 fifth-round pick for Wingels, a prospect for Ville Pokka, and a 2018 third-round pick for Kempny. Chicago did an excellent job of reloading its prospects and its draft pick pool, leading to a B rating.

Bowman and the Blackhawks have had a successful run in the last decade. They are starting to slow down as age catches up with them. For Chicago to avoid a drop-off, it needs to continue to reload prospects and keep the draft picks coming. This trade deadline was a good start for that. Chicago will be an interesting team to watch in the summer around the draft to see if it can move any of their big salaries, like Brent Seabrook’s.