The February 26th NHL trade deadline has come and gone. The Chicago Blackhawks rebuild is in full swing as they stocked up on picks with several trades. Over the next few months, they’ll need to draft well, deal with their four RFA’s, as well as evaluate their current roster. There will be a lot of uncertainty as the Blackhawks fans heal from their favorite team missing the playoffs.<\/p>\n
As the dust settles after\u00a0Monday\u2019s\u00a0busy NHL trade deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>\u00a0rebuild has begun. The 2017-18 NHL season has been a huge disappointment for both the team and their loyal fans. The lack of success from the off-season roster moves General Manager Stan Bowman\u00a0<\/strong>made\u00a0was a big downer for fans \u2013 almost as bad as the Blackhawks impotent power play this season. Add in the injuries to Corey Crawford<\/strong><\/a> and the season-long loss of Marian\u00a0Hossa<\/strong><\/a>, the odds\u00a0were stacked\u00a0against the Blackhawks being successful.<\/p>\n This leads us to this season\u2019s trade deadline that was unlike any other of the past 10 seasons. Usually, the Blackhawks have been searching for that missing player(s) needed to make a run for the Stanley Cup. Stan Bowman has had success adding pieces over the last decade, proven by the team winning three Stanley Cups in the previous nine seasons.<\/p>\n As buyers at previous trade deadlines, Chicago had given up some draft picks trying to win the Cup. This season, the Blackhawks were sellers \u2013 a very unfamiliar\u00a0place\u00a0for the team and its fans. While thousands of Blackhawks fans are upset at the team and its play, they should be happy that they were able to deal assets and stock up picks for the future. These draft picks will be instrumental in how long the Blackhawks rebuild takes. The upcoming 2018 NHL Draft is a huge opportunity to stock Chicago with talent.<\/p>\n This is the list of who\u00a0was traded\u00a0or moved recently by the Blackhawks and their return value.<\/p>\n The greatest impact from the trades was the restocking of the Blackhawks 2018 draft picks. Their second and fourth-round 2018 draft picks were dealt\u00a0away as buyers at the trade deadline over the last two seasons. With the team\u2019s sudden decline this season, it was imperative that they begin their rebuild immediately through the upcoming draft.<\/p>\n With two picks in the first round and two in the third round this summer, the Blackhawks rebuild will hopefully involve some wise choices that can help the team find their winning ways in the future. Having eight picks this year and nine picks in the 2019 draft, the team is hopefully positioning itself for good times ahead.<\/p>\n Before we get ahead of ourselves, we must caution against the idea that any of those 17 picks will provide any immediate relief to the misery of Chicago fans. The Blackhawks will need to balance out the future draft picks with re-signing their RFA\u2019s as well as acquiring free-agents that can bring short-term help if a Cup run is near.<\/p>\n Scouting and drafting players are a hit or miss proposition for NHL teams. Many players need seasoning in college, junior leagues, or the minors before they\u2019re ready for the big show. Most will never make it to the NHL as starters, and a lot will spend their entire career in the minors or leave the sport altogether.<\/p>\n As an example, only two players from the Blackhawks last four drafts (2014-2017) are currently playing for the Blackhawks. Nick\u00a0Schmaltz<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(2014) and Alex\u00a0DeBrincat<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>(2016) are the only two players out of 34 drafted by the Blackhawks since 2014 to make an immediate impact on the team. It\u2019s not to say that none of the other 32 players will not make it to the pro level, it\u2019s just too early to tell. Most of them are either in college, juniors, the AHL,\u00a0ECHL, or playing overseas.<\/p>\n Another issue that will affect the Blackhawks rebuild will be several of their players becoming RFA\u2019s at the end of the season. This will require the Blackhawks to make qualifying offers to those players designated as RFA\u2019s to keep them from becoming UFA\u2019s. This process\u00a0can be\u00a0contentious as the team and the player work out an agreeable salary without the player going to arbitration or seeking an offer sheet from another team.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the list of the Blackhawks RFA\u2019s at the end of this season and their current salaries from Cap Friendly.com<\/a><\/p>\n While the Blackhawks finish up their season, there will be a lot of discussion of what went wrong this year. The team is not happy, and their fans are beside themselves as they watch their team miss the playoffs. Expectations will be high as the Blackhawks bring up their young talent the rest of the season. They’ll try to get a feel for where they\u2019re at in their progression from draftees to the pro level. The young players will get a chance to show if they\u2019re ready to make an impact or not. After the season, all eyes will be on Stan Bowman and his staff as they use the draft to rebuild. Hopefully, there\u2019s another Alex\u00a0DeBrincat\u00a0<\/strong>or Nick\u00a0Schmaltz\u00a0<\/strong>waiting to wear the Blackhawks sweater sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n Main Image Credit:<\/p>\nTrades Bring Draft Picks<\/h2>\n
Trades and Roster Moves<\/h2>\n
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Here\u2019s a look at the Blackhawks 2018 draft by rounds:<\/h3>\n
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Blackhawks Rebuild And Reality<\/h2>\n
Past Draft Class Lessons<\/h3>\n
RFA\u2019s Ahead<\/h3>\n
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The End is Near<\/h3>\n