The Chicago Blackhawks have traded another key member from their Stanley Cup winning club, this time dealing Patrick Sharp and prospect Stephen Johns to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt.
Sharp had a down season, scoring only 16 goals and 43 points in 68 games this year, but scored 15 points on the team’s Cup run. With a high cap hit, and the rising contracts of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the cap-crunched Blackhawks had to move some contracts and Sharp – along with RFA Brandon Saad – were roster casualties.
Daley scored 16 goals for the Stars last season and carries a $3.3 million cap-hit for the next two seasons. While that’s a great number, he’s a horrible possession player who’s no spring chicken at 31-years-old. Garbutt is a solid depth player, but isn’t much more than that.
Stars take on Sharp full-on at $5.9 m cap hit. Ditto Hawks with Daley at $3.3 m. But obviously some cap relief for Chicago tonight
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 11, 2015
Considering the rumored asking price at the draft was reported to be a first-round pick and a high level prospect, this return seems somewhat disappointing – as the club didn’t get either. Instead they’ve got two old(ish) players who should be solid depth players. While I’m sure both players can contribute to the Blackhawks, neither can parallel Sharp’s contribution.
Sharp is just one year removed from a 30+ goal season, so this seems like a great move by Dallas GM Jim Nill. He paid a very small price for a player who can make a serious impact. The Blackhawks sold low to get cap relief.
