Grading the Top Offseason Moves for the Chicago Blackhawks

The 2014-15 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks have been busy this offseason, and they have made a number of changes. Such is the life of an elite contender, and this isn't the first time the Hawks have won a Stanley Cup and cleared the decks.

Chicago has made a number of tough decisions thus far, one of them involved dealing Brandon Saad, but they got a nice return, considering the situation they were in. General manager Stan Bowman has a plan, and so far, he's done a good job, considering the lack of financial flexibility.

There are still a number of moves to come, but here are some grades for the Hawks' top offseason moves to date.

Trading Antti Raanta

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The Blackhawks have a solid goaltending tandem of Corey Crawford and Scott Darling, so there was no longer a need to keep Antti Raanta in the fold. He was set to be the starter in Rockford for the IceHogs, but instead, he will be Henrik Lundqvist's backup.

Raanta was sent to the New York Rangers in exchange for forward prospect Ryan Haggerty, a former NCAA star at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who spent the 2014-15 season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.

Grade: B

This was a trade that made a lot of sense for the Blackhawks because Raanta wasn't going to play in 2015-16 unless there was a significant goaltending injury. Haggerty is a solid forward with an amazing slap shot, and he has a good chance of making the Chicago roster out of training camp.

Re-Signing Andrew Desjardins

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The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed forward Andrew Desjardins to a two-year deal that pays him $800,000 a season. The forward had other offers that would have paid him more according to his agent, but staying in Chicago was a priority.

The former San Jose Sharks forward added a goal and three assists in 21 playoff games for the Hawks.

Grade: B-

Desjardins is a quality bottom-six forward, and he added physicality and versatility to Chicago's depth chart. To keep him for under $1 million was a great move by Bowman, and he could become a movable asset in the event the Hawks need some relief going forward.

Trading Brandon Saad

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Brandon Saad is a talented player who has shown a ton of potential in his short NHL career, and there were rumors that he would be sent an offer sheet if he wasn't signed to a new deal by July 1. However, he was dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets in an unexpected move that also included Alex Broadhurst and Michael Paliotta.

In exchange, the Blackhawks received Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp and a fourth-round pick for the 2016 draft. Shortly after the deal, the Blue Jackets signed Saad to a $36 million deal over six seasons. The $6-million-a-season deal was clearly too rich for Bowman.

Grade: B-

Saad has the makings of a great player, but there are a few things to consider here. The former Hawks winger benefited from playing with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa during the regular season, and there is no telling what he will do on his own.

The numbers, as explained by Sean Tierney of Today's Slapshot, show that Saad has some work to do on his own, and there is a chance Dano will be able to step in and fill the void. In addition to that, Anisimov has developed quite nicely, and he is bound to improve playing with Patrick Kane.

Re-Signing Artem Anisimov

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Artem Anisimov was a main piece in the Brandon Saad trade, and he was promptly re-signed to a deal worth $22.75 million over five years. That deal kicks in at the start of the 2016-17 season, and he will receive a raise from $3.2 million to $4.55 million a season.

Anisimov will replace the hole left by Brad Richards, and coincidentally, it is a role reversal for the 27-year-old center. Richards took Anisimov's spot in the lineup as a second-line center when he signed with the New York Rangers in 2011, and the following summer Anisimov was traded in a deal that sent Rick Nash to Broadway.

Grade: A

Anisimov is already posting 40 points a season as a center, and you can expect him to see a jump of 15 to 20 points when he starts playing with Patrick Kane. Having a second-line center on a contract for $4.55 million is a steal, and it is a much more palatable figure than what would have been given to Saad.

Signing Viktor Tikhonov

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The Blackhawks signed KHL winger Viktor Tikhonov from SKA Saint Petersburg, returning the 27-year-old to the NHL after a six-year absence. The grandson of legendary coach Viktor Tikhonov spent 61 games with the Phoenix Coyotes and went to the KHL after spending three years in the AHL.

The 6'2", 183-pound winger tallied 69 goals and 61 assists for 130 points in 207 games, and he will get a chance to play in the top nine for Chicago.

Grade: B+

This is a situation in which Chicago is taking a chance on a player with some talent and upside. The Russian winger will make a measly $1.04 million, and presents no risk.

Trading Patrick Sharp

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In many ways, the dealing of Patrick Sharp signifies the final domino to fall for the Blackhawks as they attempt to finalize a cap-compliant roster for the 2015-16 season. Everyone knew that Chicago was going to move Sharp and his $5.9 million cap hit, and that should have led to widespread interest.

The Blackhawks' initial asking price was rather high, according to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, and there's a chance it may have driven a team like the Washington Capitals away. Washington was interested in Sharp before the trade deadline, according to Kuc, but this offseason, they opted to sign Justin Williams and deal for T.J. Oshie instead of Sharp.

The team's interest might have waned, but the corresponding moves suggest they needed to move on because Chicago's asking price was unrealistic.

Ultimately, Sharp was packaged with defensive prospect Stephen Johns, and the duo was sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt, and the return can be described as disappointing. 

Grade: C-

The only thing more peculiar than the return netted for Sharp by Chicago in this trade is how the deal was announced. The Stars announced the deal on a Periscope stream, and sent out a tweet to those who weren't tuning in. After the deal was made official, there was some shock, and I wanted to question whether the deal was real or not, since the transaction is a real head-scratcher for Chicago.

They packaged a top scorer and quality defensive prospect in exchange for a bottom-six forward and a top-four defender. Daley has decent offensive abilities, but he is horrid defensively and a terrible possession player, as pointed out by Rob Vollman of ESPN and Stephen Burtch of Sportsnet.

The deal saved Chicago only $1.7 million in cap space, and the acquisition of Garbutt is interesting, considering that the Blackhawks already re-signed Andrew Desjardins who plays a similar style of hockey.

Bowman was never going to get an amazing package, because teams knew the Blackhawks were up against the salary cap. It seemed like he held out in search of a better offer, because he would have probably been better served moving Sharp at the draft.

Teams would have shown some real interest if the price was realistic, especially with the free-agent market being one of the weakest in years. General managers can rationalize overpaying for a known asset in a trade, but they don't have the same luxury when signing a free agent to an exorbitant contract.

Ultimately, Bowman caved, because if Daley and Garbutt or comparable players were the asking price for Patrick Sharp, there is no question that he would have been moved at the draft.

There's a chance Daley could play better in a structured system employed by Joel Quenneville, but ultimately, Johns or another prospect could have stepped in to fill the role. The deal may also mean the end of Johnny Oduya in Chicago, but that remains to be seen.

If I were Coach Quenneville, I'd prefer Johns over Daley, but there's a chance that taking on Sharp's salary meant including a prospect to sweeten the pot.

Overall

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This summer, the Blackhawks have moved Patrick Sharp, Antti Raanta, Michael Paliotta, Anders Nilsson and Brandon Saad for assets, and they have lost Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette to free agency. Chicago re-signed Andrew Desjardins and added Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Trevor Daley, Ryan Garbutt and a few other prospects who will start out in the minors.

At this time, the Blackhawks are trying to keep Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger, but there is a chance that they may end up elsewhere. Outside of the Sharp deal, it is fair to say that it has been a solid offseason for Stan Bowman when you consider the financial parameters he has had to deal with. 

Grade: B-

Stats via Hockey-Reference and financial information via General Fanager unless otherwise noted.