Do The Chicago Blackhawks Trade Perry Or Foligno This Season?

The Chicago Blackhawks sit about where many expected them to be in the first season with Connor Bedard, in the bottom-five. It's tough to turn a team around completely with just one first overall pick, even if he is seen as the next great player.

After the Blackhawks won the draft lottery, they had to start thinking of ways to surround their young talent with veteran leadership and players who could help start the process of turning things around. This saw Nick Folgino and Corey Perry brought in and signed for a generous amount. While $4 million AAV cap hits for this season isn't exactly ideal if they want to move either of them, their production and impact on the young Blackhawks team is proving to be valuable.

No team will take on the full $4 million from either of them and the Blackhawks will definitely be willing to retain half if there is interest. The team isn't built to win right now and both can be seen as rentals since they're on one-year deals. There's also no reason to think that the Blackhawks wouldn't bring whichever of the two back next season again, even if they were traded.

Both veterans are playing on the top power-play unit while Taylor Hall is out of the lineup, which will undoubtedly continue to boost their production. Perry has been impressive as he leads the team in points with six. He is sixth among forwards in ice time per game and he should continue to be the net front presence on the power play all season on Chicago if he stays. Foligno is filling in on the top line and has four points in eight games. Last season definitely gave him confidence and the 36-year-old plays a heavy game. He is still searching for the first Stanley Cup of his career, so the Blackhawks may respect that and move him to a contender if there's interest.

I think it's completely possible both players are traded this season if they continue to prove their worth.