It may not matter who the GM is, two Blackhawks trade candidates
Tom Guliiti of NHL.com: (mailbag) The Chicago Blackhawks have pending UFAs in Marc-Andre Fleury and Calvin de Haan that could be moved by the trade deadline regardless if a full-time GM is hired by that time or not.
Dan Rosen of NHL.com: Could the Chicago Blackhawks trade goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Washington Capitals and they meet up with the Pittsburgh Penguins? With the Blackhawks currently on the outside looking in, they could see if Fleury wants to move to a contender.
Aside from the Capitals, the Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche could have some level of interest in Fleury.
Chicago Blackhawks trade tiers
Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic: Trade tiers for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Nearly untouchables – Alex DeBrincat, Seth Jones, Patrick Kane, Lukas Reichel and Jonathan Toews.
Long shots – Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel, Jake McCabe, Connor Murphy and Riley Stillman.
Trade bait – Henrik Borgstrom, Ryan Carpenter, Calvin de Haan, Erik Gustafsson, Dominik Kubalik and Marc-Andrei Fleury.
Borgstrom probably doesn’t have much trade value but is under contract for one more year at $1 million. Carpenter is a pending UFA that likely won’t be back nor would he bring back much. de Haan is the most likely of this tier to be traded, and if retained salary, could increase the value of the pick or prospect. Gustafsson could be added depth for someone. Almost all of Kubalik’s numbers are down and so is his value. Some sources say Fleury could land them a first-round pick, some say less than that. May depend on if/how much salary they retain.
X-factor – Dylan Strome – Playing in a top-six role with skilled players has shown his worth but do the Blackhawks see him in that role in the future. He hasn’t had success on the wing or in a checking role.
The #NHLTrade Deadline is only a few weeks away. Could we see Marc-Andre Fleury on the move? 👀
Here's why your team should add the veteran goalie. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/QzMkhD8Qo8
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 24, 2022