The big trade waiting in the wings for the Chicago Blackhawks has finally taken place, as the Hawks dealt goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild ahead of Monday afternoon’s trade deadline. In return, the Blackhawks receive a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
BREAKING: Hearing #Blackhawks are trading Marc-Andre Fleury to #mnwild. Sounds like conditional 2nd round pick that can become a 1st for CHI.@DailyFaceoff
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 21, 2022
The conditional pick in Marc-Andre Fleury trade is in 2022, per source. #Blackhawks https://t.co/C5fNTSpCeK
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 21, 2022
The pick has the potential to be upgraded to a first-round pick should the Wild advance to the Western Conference Final and Fleury records at least four victories within the first two rounds of the playoffs. Additionally, the Blackhawks are retaining 50% of Fleury’s cap hit for the remainder of the season.
Fleury conditions: 2nd round pick becomes a 1st for #Blackhawks if MIN reaches Western Conference Final and Fleury accounts for 4 wins or more in first two rounds.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 21, 2022
#Blackhawks are retaining 50% on Fleury.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 21, 2022
Fleury performed admirably behind a poor Blackhawks team this season, posting a 19–21–5 record with a 2.95 goals against average, .908 save percentage and four shutouts.
Obviously the move solidifies Minnesota’s goaltending situation, as the Wild will now trot out a tandem of Fleury and Cam Talbot, as Minnesota traded Kaapo Kahkonen to the San Jose Sharks in a corresponding deal. With a deep forward group and reliable veteran blue line, the Wild should have a fighting chance of getting to the Western Conference Final, especially now with Fleury between the pipes, which would trigger the upgrade to the first-round pick.
For the Blackhawks, they will now run with a tandem of Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia for the rest of the season, while Arvid Soderblom will stay with the Rockford IceHogs to lead their playoff push.
The deal makes sense in a number of ways for both sides. For the Wild, they get the proven netminder General Manager Bill Guerin was hoping for. Fleury will have a chance at another Stanley Cup, and did not have to travel far for the opportunity. Guerin likely played a key role in convincing Fleury to accept a move to Minnesota, as the two won a Stanley Cup together in Pittsburgh in 2009. Of course, for the Blackhawks, they acquire a quality draft pick in return for Fleury, who they essentially acquired for free last summer.
Needless to say, Blackhawks fans should be hoping for a strong showing in the playoffs for the Wild, as having the pick upgrade to a first-round pick would certainly be a big plus for Chicago’s rebuild, especially without having their own first-round pick, which was dealt in the Seth Jones trade last summer.
With arguably Chicago’s two biggest trade chips in Fleury and Brandon Hagel having been dealt, the attention now turns to the likes of Ryan Carpenter, Calvin de Haan and Dominik Kubalik as the 2 p.m. CDT deadline approaches.
| Date | The-Rink Division | Outgoing Player/Pick | Opposite Team | Player/Pick Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/16/2022 |  | Calle Jarnkrok |  | '22 2nd round pick (acquired from FLA), '23 3rd round pick, and a '24 7th round pick |
| 3/18/2022 |  | Brandon Hagel, '22 4th round pick, '24 4th round pick |  | Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, ‘23 1st round pick, ‘24 1st round pick |
| 3/20/2022 | | Mark Giordano (50% salary retained), Colin Blackwell |  | '22 2nd round pick, '23 2nd round pick, and, '24 3rd round pick |
| 3/20/2022 | | Jeremy Lauzon |  | '22 2nd round pick |
| 3/20/2022 | | Mason Appleton |  | '23 4th round pick |
| 3/21/2022 | | Marcus Johansson (50% salary retained) |  | Daniel Sprong, '22 4th round pick, and '23 6th round pick |
| 3/21/2022 | | Marc-Andre Fleury (50% salary retained) |  | Conditional '22 2nd (potential 1st) round pick |
| 3/21/2022 | | Ryan Carpenter | | '24 5th round pick |
| 3/21/2022 | | Future Considerations | | Victor Rask |