With the NHL offseason now underway, the Chicago Blackhawks have started their annual contract dump. Chicago announced they’ve traded forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell to the Carolina Hurricanes for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. Carolina will absorb all of Bickell’s $4 million salary for the 2016-17 season.
The Blackhawks were forced to make the deal due their tight cap situation. Since Jonathan Toews’ and Patrick Kane’s dual $10.5 million contract extensions kicked in, mixed in with big contracts for Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford, and Marian Hossa, Chicago hasn’t had much wiggle room to operate with free agents. It’s forced them to deal good players in exchange for cap space, as Brandon Saad was a casualty of being a restricted free agent last season and was dealt to Columbus. The Blackhawks thinking here is similar: deal excess weight and youngsters in order to keep star players around.
With the salary cap not expected to increase, general manager Stan Bowman needed to find a way to create some room on the books for restricted free agent Andrew Shaw. Bowman couldn’t find a trade partner for Bickell in the season, so in order to clear his $4 million salary, he had to throw the talented Teravainen in the trade. It’s a high price to pay just to dump Bickell’s contract.
Teravainen was a first-round pick by Chicago in 2012. The 21-year-old was rated as one of the best prospects in the league before making the NHL jump in 2013-14. In 115 games, the talented Finn has produced 17 goals and 44 points. Playing on a stacked Blackhawks squad hasn’t helped Teravainen’s development, as he’s seen modest ice-time and few opportunities with the team’s top stars. The trade should do wonders for Teravainen’s growth, as he should get the chance to play top-six minutes with the improving Hurricanes squad. He’s got massive upside as a first-line scoring threat.
Acquiring Bickell might not seem like a helpful addition for the Hurricanes, but despite being waived and relegated to the minors for much of 2015-16, the 30-year-old can still be an effective bottom-six winger. Carolina improved their forward core significantly with the move.
As for the Blackhawks, losing Teravainen will hurt long-term. If he develops into the star player many think he might be, it’s going to be tough to watch him do that in Carolina. Getting rid of Bickell’s contract (and Tervainen’s rookie salary) will provide ample breathing room for the team to facilitate other moves. The draft picks, a second and third-round pick are also solid assets to acquire. Knowing the Blackhawks, they’ll use them to uprade their team in future trades.
Being in a win-now mode means you have to make tough decisions. The Blackhawks have won multiple Stanley Cups because of their willingness to sacrifice the future for the present. It’s proven to work for them over the years, even if every time they trade a talented youngster away it comes across as baffling.
Ultimately, the trade works for both teams, even if it heavily favors the Hurricanes. Carolina acquires an impressive young player for taking on salary, while the Blackhawks clear room and add draft picks.
