The Blackhawks May Have Another Trade In The Works

Just before free agency opened at the start of July, GM Kyle Davidson said he and his staff were “looking at a couple options”, but they wouldn’t be too busy on the open market. After all, it had been a whirlwind previous few days at the NHL Draft in Nashville, and after 11 draft picks plus a flurry of roster moves and trades, it was time to regroup. His roster was looking significantly better than it had merely a week before, and Davidson didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize those improvements. The team did sign forward Ryan Donato to a two-year deal in free agency, but other than that, things have been dead silent for Chicago.

However, recent rumblings suggest that there may be some action yet before training camp begins in mid-September. While the late summer is typically a time for NHL players to relax and recover, Davidson and his staff are undoubtedly doing anything but relaxing as they try to improve the Blackhawks roster even further.

Michael Wagner of The Hockey Writers suggests that the Vancouver Canucks could be an ideal trade partner for the Blackhawks:

“[The Canucks] will likely want to move defenseman Tyler Myers, who has one year remaining on his contract with a $6 million cap hit.”

- Michael Wagner, The Hockey Writers

Canucks-Blackhawks trade rumors are familiar and tired, as the two have been painted as potential partners since the beginning of the offseason. Vancouver has since gained a bit of breathing room by buying out All-Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but the team is still projected at more than $4 million over the salary cap. It’s well-known by now that the Blackhawks have the opposite problem - they project to have nearly $18 million in cap space, having finally reached the cap floor.

By those standards alone, the Canucks and Blackhawks sound like a match made in heaven. More specifically, though, Myers is a player that’s both expendable to Vancouver while potentially proving valuable for Chicago.

History and Fit

Myers was drafted 12th overall back in 2008, and won the Calder Memorial Trophy after his 2009-10 rookie season. He’s 33 years old, and offers 14 years of experience at the professional level. Most notably for the Canucks, though, is that he was signed to a five-year, $30 million contract four years ago. For a team with the second-highest projected spending in the NHL, being able to offload a $6 million cap hit would be a huge breath of fresh air.

As Myers’ contract expires at the end of next season, he fits into Davidson and the Blackhawks’ “master plan” perfectly. They’ve made it clear that their goal throughout the current rebuild is to maintain long-term financial flexibility, and Myers would help them achieve that goal.

In addition to his favorable contract, Myers is a right-handed defenseman. Chicago fans don’t hear those words very often, so when a player like Myers is acquirable, it almost sounds too good to be true. After Seth Jones and Connor Murphy, the Blackhawks have an obvious lack of right-handed talent on the blue line, which could end up limiting what the group can accomplish. With an addition like Myers, the squad would be more balanced once again.

Wagner points out that the deal wouldn’t cost the Canucks too much, as “a future second-round pick would probably get it done.” But if Davidson is given the opportunity to flesh out his defensive unit and utilize their cap room while maintaining future flexibility, AND get a top-50 draft pick out of it? Sign me up.