The Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Mattias Janmark and a 2022 fifth-round pick as the 2020-21 trade deadline approaches Monday afternoon. The veteran skater has been fine this year, but the Hawks no longer need his services with Kirby Dach‘s return. Vegas gave up a 2021 second-round and 2022 third-round selection in this deal.
Janmark to Vegas. Vegas 2nd to Chicago. Flip VGK 3rd for Hawks 5th next year.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 12, 2021
UPDATE: The San Jose Sharks are receiving Buffalo’s 2022 fifth-round pick for retaining salary on Janmark.
Sharks will receive 5th RD pick from Vegas for helping broker Janmark deal with Chicago. It’s Buffalo’s 5th RD pick in 2022. San Jose also sending a minor-league player to Vegas.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 12, 2021
Blackhawks Trade Mattias Janmark
Janmark has been a strong addition for Chicago despite their recent fade in the Central Division standings. He is currently in the top five of scoring with 10 goals and 19 points in 41 games. That translates to a respectable .46 points-per-game for a skater who wasn’t playing with the world’s greatest linemates. The possession stats weren’t great; a 42.2 percent Corsi For and -6.2 relative Corsi are quite bad, but some of that may just be the environment. Janmark was regularly close to even on Corsi in his four years with the Dallas Stars.
The Detroit Red Wings originally drafted Janmark in the third round of the 2013 Draft, but traded him in 2015 in exchange for Erik Cole and a third-round pick in the 2015 Draft that became Vili Saarijarvi. Janmark has been a fine NHL contributor with 56 goals and 72 points in 41 games. He scored 15 or more goals in his first two seasons and could crack that mark again this year if he returns to the ice soon. That would be fantastic production for someone with a cap hit of just $2.25 million.
What This Means For The Future
Janmark has a prime opportunity to reclaim some of what made him so good in his first seasons. He is a versatile skater who can contribute in multiple situations. He should be a quality bottom-six skater with much better linemates than what he had in Chicago.
This trade also helps Chicago continue its rebuild. The team does have some intriguing building blocks for the future including Pius Suter and Philipp Kurashev, but they need more. Janmark may be the best player that the Blackhawks jettison this spring, but he probably won’t be the only one.
Main Photo:
Conditional 4th when done. https://t.co/yOf4MM8KXv
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 12, 2021
