Chicago Blackhawks: Salary Cap Matters, Did the Big Trade Make Sense?

By now we are all aware of the trade the Blackhawks General Manager, Stan Bowman, made sending Dustin Byfuglein, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, and Akim Aliu to the Atlanta Thrashers for the 24th and 54th picks overall in the 2010 NHL Draft along with center Marty Reasoner, minor league player Joey Crabb, and Jeremy Morin. 

So what did the Blackhawks actually get in return?  They did get two draft picks in prime positions that they can use to help bolster their depth and grab some good developmental talent.  Crabb and Morin could also be developed in the Blackhawks minor league program and step up to the NHL at some point down the road.

The Hawks did lose three guys that they will miss but can replace.  We all know what Byfuglein did in the NHL playoffs and in the Stanley Cup Final. Having that kind of big bodied player will be hard to replace.  Sopel was also decent enough in the payoffs, as was Eager.  However, these three guys were not part of the core of the Blackhawks.  That core, including players such as Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, and Marion Hossa, were the real “drivers” that got the Hawks into the finals and earned them the Stanley Cup.

With the two picks that the Blackhawks got, not only can they add players with these picks but they could make an even bigger trade.  The Hawks are wheeling and dealing and it’s all going to help make their team better.

One other trade that has taken place in the past couple of days (involving the Blackhawks) was sending center Colin Fraser to the Edmonton Oilers for a sixth round selection (number 151 overall).  This is just more proof that the Blackhawks are unloading cap space in order to save their core players from having to be sent to other places.

So what happens if the Hawks can’t make it and they have to cut someone else loose?  Don’t worry about them losing the core players from this year’s championship team.  Bowman is smart enough to figure out how to keep the core intact so there should be nothing to worry about.

It will be interesting to see what the Blackhawks do with their draft picks and the extra picks that they have (and may still) pick up in the 2010 NHL Draft.  They should be able to keep on the path towards another Stanley Cup next season while still maintaining most the existing roster.