Ryan Donato Is Interesting Early Blackhawks Trade Candidate

The Chicago Blackhawks are off to a rough start to the 2024-25 season. After the team made a number of strong moves in the offseason to get better, everything hasn't seemed to click. Many didn't expect the Blackhawks to push into a playoff spot right away, but there should be an improvement upon last season.

Chicago currently sits tied for the second fewest points (seven) and wins (three) in the NHL and some of the players on the team have really struggled. Someone who hasn't struggled is Ryan Donato and he continues to be overlooked and underrated.

The Blackhawks are fortunate enough to have the 28-year-old again this season after joining the team before last season. He has always been a depth player with skill and I wonder just how well he could do in a larger role. He will probably never get that chance though as his whole career has been the same, stuck in the bottom-6.

Donato is in the second and final year of a two-year deal he signed with the Blackhawks and he is one of the players on the team actually putting in work offensively. Chicago has played 10 games, but Donato has only appeared in eight of them. Despite that, he is leading the Blackhawks with five goals. The next closest player on the team is Connor Bedard, Nick Foligno, Teuvo Teravainen, and Craig Smith, all with three.

Donato put up 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games last season, so this start has him well on track to not only blow by his totals from last season, but his career best marks. Donato has a cap hit of $2 million AAV and since the Blackhawks appear like they are right on track to finish outside of the playoffs, he is emerging as a very interesting trade target for teams looking for that bottom-6 skill he possesses.

It is early for any team to force a trade and the Blackhawks will likely stick it out for another few months, but Donato's hot start should land him on some teams' radars already as injuries and planning might speed up the process. The Blackhawks have a number of talented players they can bring into the lineup if the team moves Donato this season. Might as well get more than the team anticipated in a deal if he's playing this well.