NHL Rumors: Ryan Donato’s Career Year Has Teams Kicking Themselves Post-Deadline

According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, NHL teams may already be regretting their decision not to pay the price for Ryan Donato at the trade deadline. 

The 28-year-old center, enjoying a career-best season with the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, notched his first NHL hat trick last week against the Vegas Golden Knights and continues to pile on the offense. 

He’s now sitting at 29 goals and 59 points in 72 games, far surpassing his previous career highs. “There have to be teams around the NHL kicking themselves that they didn’t offer the Blackhawks a first-round pick for Ryan Donato,” Powers wrote, pointing to the value Donato has provided Chicago in a top-six role with regular power-play minutes.

Ryan Donato. Hat trick. The first of his NHL career. Just an unreal season he's having. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/c7lkICUygB

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 29, 2025

Donato has been the Blackhawks’ most consistent forward this season, and his chemistry with Connor Bedard and Ilya Mikheyev has made their line one of the few bright spots for the team. 

In Friday’s game, Donato scored three five-on-five goals, two of them within 15 seconds. After the game, he admitted the hat trick was overshadowed in his mind by a costly turnover that led to an empty-net goal. 

“I’ll be thinking about that tonight rather than the hat trick,” he said. Still, his performance has caught attention league-wide—especially as he rides a four-game point streak with six goals and two assists.

Ryan Donato cleans up a rebound in front and scores his 29th goal of the season pic.twitter.com/bFhYyCpnmp

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 30, 2025

Chicago has reportedly offered Donato a three-year extension worth $4 million annually, hoping he values the opportunity he’s been given as a top-line forward. 

But should he test the market on July 1, Boston could be a tempting destination. Donato, a Boston native and former Bruin, may be drawn to a team looking to bounce back after a down year. 

Powers noted that while Donato has expressed a desire to stay in Chicago after bouncing between five teams in seven years, he may now have enough leverage to explore better offers or more competitive situations—leverage some teams may wish they'd forced his hand on sooner.

Photo Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images