NHL Rumors: 2 Chicago Blackhawks Offseason Trade Candidates

The Chicago Blackhawks have begun a full tear down rebuild that's going to be ramped up once this season concludes. While general manager Kyle Davidson made some bold moves by dealing the likes of Brandon Hagel and Marc-Andre Fleury before the trade deadline, it's this summer where the damage is really going down. Expect to see some blockbuster trades blow out of the windy city this upcoming offseason and two big-time names will likely be included. Let's dive into two Blackhawks expected to be moved after the season:

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane

This one will be tough for certain Blackhawks fans to swallow; the Kane and Toews era is almost over. It's no secret to two were pissed off with the direction of ownership and management when they decided to strip it down to the bones and commit to a full rebuild. It won't be completed until the two veteran forwards making $10.5 million each against the cap are moved. Both players hold full no-movement clauses and control their own destiny.

Both Toews and Kane are signed for next season and expect to see them both moved at either the draft or sometime throughout the summer. It's likely the Blackhawks will retain a large portion of their salaries as many teams won't be able to fit in their massive cap hit on their books. While there was potential of a deal coming, the Blackhawks captain really cemented the future this week with this quote:

“For the longest time the thought never entered my mind to leave Chicago. In this case, you can’t help but picture yourself and what it would be like to play for another team and just what that experience would bring. … But, again, Chicago’s my home.”—Jonathan Toews on pic.twitter.com/1X4aQ6ib9L
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) March 23, 2022

As for who is likely to be involved in trade talks, there's a few teams which stand out as potential destinations for each. When it comes to Toews, look for the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers to all be involved. As for Kane, expect to see the New York Rangers try to reunite him with Artemi Panarin, along with the Colorado Avalanche. Both teams reached out to the Blackhawks a couple of weeks ago to see if a deadline deal had any legs.

Sorry Blackhawk fans, if you're not up for a rebuild you're not going to enjoy the next few seasons. Davidson is tearing things down in Chicago and while some have already begun to be shipped out of town, it won't fully be considered a complete rebuild until the two longest serving Blackhawks have been traded.