As the Chicago Blackhawks prepare for a rebuild, the team is starting to gauge interest on players other teams could be interested in trading for.
The team has three players who have full no-movement clauses in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Seth Jones who are not on the market, but Chicago isn't opposed to listening to a deal on most of its roster.
"A team to watch over the next few weeks is going to be Chicago. They have three players with no-move clauses, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Seth Jones. So don't count them because they're not on the market," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during the 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada. "But other than that, the Blackhawks are testing the value of anyone that team other teams want to ask about.
"They're willing to listen they're willing to hear as another GM said, it's like Brandon Hagel. Can you make them an offer that makes them want to seriously think about it?"
The Blackhawks traded Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the NHL trade deadline for Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a first in 2024, which are top 10 protected. Hagel has two more years left on his deal with a $1.5 million cap hit, which allowed Chicago to maximize his return in a trade.
Both Toews and Kane are in the final year of their contracts, and the captain made it known that he wants to have more dialogue with general manager Kyle Davidson and the coaching staff on the team's direction. Jones is starting a new eight-year deal that carries a $9.5 million cap hit.
The Blackhawks hired Davidson as GM after taking over for Stan Bowman in an interim role last season.
Last month, Davidson made it known he would like to trade into the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft after giving up the sixth overall pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jones.
"Being where we're at in our trajectory, that's where the talent is found," Davidson told reporters about moving up in the draft. "That's where we need to bring players in at. So, it's definitely something we'll look at. Whether that's a possibility is a different question, but it's something I'm definitely interested in."
