Who says the beginning of the offseason has to be boring? Today it was announced that the Chicago Blackhawks would trade Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2016 second-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick. Amazingly, both picks that were traded today were never the Hurricanes original picks as they acquired the 2016 pick from the Rangers in the Eric Staal trade and they acquired the 2017 pick from the Blackhawks in a Kris Versteeg trade.
The Blackhawks have had some interesting asset management over the past few years and because of it they are now being taken to task when trying to trade players. Bickell is on the last year of his contract and Teravainen is on the last year of his ELC. This does open up about %5 million in cap space for the Blackhawks, who have proven time and time again that they are adept at getting the most out of young talent. So, what are the Blackhawks going to do with all of this cap space?
A rumor that has gone all around the NHL is that the Blackhawks want to extend Andrew Shaw to a long-term deal. Much like the Bickell signing before this, it won’t age well and will have to be moved shortly. If they want to sign Panarin to a long-term deal, that would be a different story. They keep getting burnt by players with grit and tenacity. Why would they try to re-sign a player that is in a similar mold.
Meanwhile, for the Hurricanes this is an absolute steal. They have a lot of cap flexibility and could buy out Bickell if they so choose. Acquiring Teravainen for almost nothing is going to be a boon for the team and he will immediately begin to play in the top six for the Canes. Even after this move, the Canes can acquire more assets and start building a formidable team in the East. This rebuild has come together quickly and the playoffs should be in sight. Is the Metropolitan Division ready?
