The Chicago Blackhawks were involved in what is one of the biggest trades that has happened in-season or at all in the cap era of the NHL. This 3-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes saw Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen head to the Hurricanes while Martin Necas and Jack Drury went to the Avalanche. So where was Chicago left standing?

The Blackhawks failed in this trade and are the suckers of the deal by not getting nearly enough for trading Taylor Hall and retaining $4.625 million on Rantanen’s contract. They retained no cap on Hall’s $6 million cap hit, but acquired a third-round pick (likely 66th-68th in the 2025 draft) in exchange for Hall and for retaining all of that money.

The Blackhawks were expected to get a third round pick closer to the trade deadline for just Hall, so retaining $4.6 million should have, at the very least, popped the draft pick they got in return to a mid second round pick at worst.

We’ve seen many examples of a third team retaining some money and getting a fourth or fifth round pick if they aren’t moving a player like the Minnesota Wild in 2023 when they ate $1.875 million of Ryan O’Reilly’s contract before trading him to the Toronto Maple Leafs and got a 2025 fourth round pick for their troubles.

The Blackhawks could have done way more here and not waiting until closer to the deadline really made them look bad in this deal. The only good thing that comes from making this trade now is moving out a veteran that Chicago knew they were going to trade and clearing a spot in the lineup for someone else. The Blackhawks need more of that, but not at the cost of this petty return.

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