NHL Rumors: Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks Draft Pick Trade

There’s never a better time for a trade than on draft day. This year’s draft will be held June 26th-28th in Nashville. NHL rumors will be rampant. In fact, they are already running wild. In this special holiday edition, we look at the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks possibly pulling off a deal that helps both clubs.

Chicago Blackhawks – Moving up in the draft

Rumor: Per – Patrick Johnston – theprovence.com. The Blackhawks are prepared to package second-round picks with their No. 19 pick in order to move up into the top 15.

The Blackhawks did land the big prize by winning the draft lottery and first choice to select potential superstar Connor Bedard. The thing is they are looking for young, experienced NHL players to complement Bedard once he ends his entry-level contract. One such player could be Conor Garland. He commands a $4.95 million contract through the 2025-26 season. He is only 27 years old and scored 17 goals and 29 assists in 81 games last season. His career totals show him with 83 goals and 111 assists in 322 NHL games. That means he is averaging 0.60 points per game.

His feisty level of play could fit right in on a line with Bedard. He has the speed to match Bedard, good playmaking ability, and power play skills. He has added 14 goals and 27 assists with the man advantage. Imagining him with Badard on the same line could give opposing teams fits trying to cover them both.

For the Hawks, moving up from #19 to #11 could mean they select a player with faster potential to be in the NHL. They should be able to attract the Canucks interest in their second-round picks. They have their own #35 pick, along with #44, #51, and #54. The Chicago club has accumulated 11 total selections in this draft, with eight being in the first three rounds. That leaves lots of flexibility for general manager Kyle Davidson to swing a deal like this.

The Hawks also have the highest salary cap total with $41.8 million in their coiffures to wheel and deal. They have five unrestricted free agents and five restricted free agents to sign or move at their discretion. With that much cap space Davidson can start constructing his roster and adding Garland may be an excellent starting point.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: Arizona Coyotes New Arena Approaches Fateful Vote

NHL:  NHL All-Star Game Thoughts and Possible Changes

NFL: What Eddie Robinson Told Doug Williams After He Made History 35 Years Ago

Full Press Bets:  The Five Most Intriguing NFL Schedules for 2023

PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly Ep 55: Stanley Cup Playoffs, Road Warriors, and More

WANT MORE PODCASTS? Check Out Some Of The Latest From Around The FPC Network

Vancouver Canucks – Finding cap space is essential

Rumor: Per – Patrick Johnston – theprovence.com. The Vancouver club is over the cap limit and needs to shed salary. Moving Garland’s cap hit can certainly help in that endeavor.

Fans in Vancouver are fully aware that because of bloated contracts sitting on the books signed by the previous regime, coupled with the signings of wingers such as Brock Boeser and Andrei Kuzmenko over the past 12 months, the team is currently the only team in the NHL sitting beyond the cap limit for next season. They are at $84.2 million and unless Gary Bettman and the NHLPA decide to bump up the cap limit beyond the discussed $83.5 million limit, the team needs to do something.

While two other candidates to move may be Tyler Myers ($6M) or Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($7.26M) they have no movement or no-trade clauses in their deals. Garland does not. Another player to consider may be Brock Boeser, who has been involved in NHL rumors to be traded for a while. It may just depend on which player the Blackhawks prefer in this proposed trade. He holds a higher contract worth $6.65 million through 2024-25.

No matter which player is selected to go to the Windy City in this trade scenario, it will help the cap-strapped Canucks get some breathing room to make some moves during the next season.

Although missing the playoffs by 12 points, since the Canucks hired head coach Rick Tocchet, they have responded nicely with a 20-12-4 record. Now GM Patrik Alvin needs some cap space to improve the team further.

That concludes this holiday edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to catch our next article, and thanks for reading!