The Chicago Blackhawks made a perfect trade less than a week before the NHL trade deadline. Not only did they find a taker for Seth Jones, but they acquired a first-round pick and a potential goaltender of the future, Spencer Knight, while only having to retain $2.5 million of Jones' $9 million cap hit for the remainder of his contract.
Kyle Davidson making a trade that promising gave Blackhawks fans hope that the general manager had more magic in him by the deadline. As it turns out, that was not the case.
The Blackhawks stood pat at the deadline, notably refraining from trading pending unrestricted free agents Ryan Donato and Pat Maroon. That decision was a major head-scratcher and is one that Davidson could come to regret in the coming months.
#Blackhawks kept both pending UFAs Ryan Donato and Pat Maroon.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 7, 2025
Blackhawks blew it by not making trade deadline deals
At 20-35-8, the Blackhawks have just 48 points in 63 games this season, making them the second-worst team in the NHL entering Saturday's action. With the playoffs nowhere within reach, Chicago's top priority at the deadline should've been to rebuild, selling veterans like Donato and Maroon who might not even be back with the team next season in exchange for assets that could have helped the organization win down the line. Davidson, unfortunately, did not do that.
Not parting with Maroon, a fourth-liner with just four goals and 16 points this season was a fine decision. In an ideal world, the Blackhawks would've gotten an asset for a 36-year-old who won't be in Chicago by the time they've turned things around, but if we're being honest, Maroon wouldn't have gotten much of a return. Given that, I can get behind the idea of keeping a veteran around to mentor Connor Bedard and other young, inexperienced Blackhawks players.
Not parting with Donato, however, feels like a major mistake. Not much has gone right for the Blackhawks this season, but Donato had 23 goals and 46 points on deadline day, setting career-highs in goals and points despite there being 20 games to go. Given the fact that he's 28 years old and in his eighth season, how likely is it that he'll all of a sudden sustain this elevated level of play when he had never racked up more than 31 points in a single season?
If the Blackhawks couldn't have gotten much for Donato, keeping him around would've been fine, but this was a seller's market, and centers in particular went for a ton. Brock Nelson netted the New York Islanders a first-round pick and a high-end prospect. Scott Laughton netted the Philadelphia Flyers a first-round pick and a lesser prospect. There's no reason to believe that the Blackhawks couldn't have gotten at the very least a first-round pick, and very likely more.
There's something to be said about keeping talented players around Bedard, and Donato certainly is that. He's their leading goal scorer and ranks third on the roster in points. Still, it feels like a first-round pick would be a lot more valuable than anything Donato can provide Chicago in the future. His unrestricted free agency status opens the door to him departing over the summer for nothing, and if they wind up extending him, who's to say he'll replicate his breakout year ever again on what will likely be a fairly hefty contract?
Keeping Donato and Maroon will help the Blackhawks win more this season, but it's not as if they've won much with them this season anyway. Keeping them can wind up backfiring in the future, especially when they could've gotten a haul for Donato.