The hope is that the Chicago Blackhawks will leverage what seems like the 100 premium draft picks they have to get Connor Bedard some help in the offseason.
Whether that is through drafting Michael Misa or James Hagens with the third pick in the NHL Draft, or packaging some of those picks in a trade, the Hawks must upgrade their top six.
At the same time, that does not mean the Hawks should not look to trade some of their veterans for draft picks or a prospect.
One big reason is the franchise needs to move some of these players off the roster to make way for the youngsters coming up.
The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the most impressive collections of young blueliners. It got to the point that you did not hear from T.J. Brodie again.
While it will be nearly impossible to trade him, another veteran defenseman is one of three players the Chicago Blackhawks should look to deal this offseason.
Connor Murphy
The Hawks could use his veteran presence next season to mentor the baby blueliners. However, at a $4.4 million cap hit, the front office could go out in free agency and find a cheaper veteran presence.
While the Blackhawks have an abundance of cap space, looking for some savings is still not a bad idea. Plus, Murphy is set for free agency after next season.
With all the young defensemen in the fold, it is unlikely the Hawks would want to extend Murphy. It makes sense to cash out on his asset status for some picks or another prospect who is further along on the development road.
Murphy does have a modified no-trade clause, so he would have a say on where he would be traded.
Lukas Reichel
Reichel has not come even close to reaching his ceiling with the Blackhawks. All he has done is the bare minimum. That is him proving he belongs in the NHL, but being a fourth-line forward was not what was envisioned when he was drafted in the first round of the 2020 draft.
He is still 22, and there were rumors that teams were interested in acquiring him before the trade deadline. Reichel might have more value toward the rebuild by netting something back from a team thinking he can still reach his immense potential with a change of scenery.
Maybe Edmonton who now employs the man who drafted Reichel might be interested in a deal since Stan Bowman loves a good reclaimation project.
Trading Reichel makes sense because he is also set to be a free agent after next season. The Hawks are likely not giving him more time if he is still the same player next season, who goes through a vicious cycle of playing well on the fourth line, getting bumped up only to struggle, and then getting healthy scratched.
That is why it might be better to trade Reichel to get a prospect, a pick, or even a swap of youngsters who need a change of scenery to thrive.
Arvid Soderblom
This is dependent on two conditions. The first is Soderblom re-signing with the Hawks since he is a restricted free agent. The other condition is that Laurent Brossoit still actually exists.
Brossoit feels like he is a myth. He spent the entire season on injured reserve when he was only supposed to miss a few weeks at the start of the season after needing minor knee surgery. He did need another follow-up procedure, but not much of his status was shared the rest of the season.
If he is healthy, he is one of the better backup goalies in the game. His injury also allowed Soderblom to have a new lease on his NHL life. If Brossoit did suit up at the start of the season, Soderblom would have spent the entire season in Rockford.
To Soderblom's credit, he took advantage of his unexpected second opportunity. However, there is a long jam in goal if Brossoit is healthy. Spencer Knight is the assumed No. 1 goalie of the present and future. Drew Commesso also showed some improvement as his AHL season went on.
That is why it might be better to leverage Soderblom's solid season since he is still 25. It is unlikely the Hawks will get much for Brossoit, who is making $3.3 million and coming off a knee injury that kept him out all season. Soderblom still has his career ahead of him, one he reclaimed, but has no promise it will trend in the right direction, nor do the Hawks have a long-term spot for him.
