UPDATE: Other sources have surfaced disputing the original trade rumor. You can read about that here. As we originally mentioned, you always have to take these rumors as they come. The Sharp situation is an interesting one and is still one worth following.
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Most of the talk from Chicago surrounds Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and their desire to sign a new extension together. All signs are pointing to an extension of the duo coming in the very near future, but there’s one rumor/report that’s a bit more intriguing. The Chicago Blackhawks are reportedly considering trading Patrick Sharp, as seen on Sportsnet.ca.
Why would the Blackhawks want to trade a player who tallied 78 points in 82 games last season and 238 points in his last 258 regular season games? The answer supposedly lies in two places: Help in the middle of the ice and cap space.
Sharp carries three more years on his deal which consumes $5.9 million in cap space a season. Dealing him away and acquiring a cheaper option may assist the club in squeezing in new deals for Kane and Toews under the cap while allowing them to still address other needs. At the same time, a Sharp trade may finally give Chicago additional depth in the middle behind Toews.
As always, take a report like this with an immense amount of skepticism. The Blackhawks would have to be entertained or presented with a pretty robust offer to trade away Sharp. The kind of production and consistency Sharp brings is almost impossible to replace. That doesn’t mean trading him away is completely out of the picture, but it does mean that the Blackhawks would have to get a handsome return should they decide to pull the trigger on a trade.
