The Chicago Blackhawks just announced another fairly significant trade, and another step in what appears to be an effort on the part of GM Stan Bowman to overhaul what was the league’s worst defense this past season.
The Blackhawks acquire:
Defenseman Calvin de Haan, former first round draft pick (12th overall) of the New York Islanders
Left wing Aleksi Saarela, former third round pick of the New York Rangers
The Carolina Hurricanes acquire:
Goalie Anton Forsberg, a former seventh round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets
Defenseman Gustav Forsling, a former fifth round pick of the Vancouver Canucks
Clearly, the biggest name in this deal is left-handed defenseman de Haan, who, like recent acquisition Olli Maatta, is more of a defense-minded defenseman. Unlike Maatta, de Haan skates well, and is likely to provide at minimum a measurable upgrade defensively versus Forsling.
With the deal, the Blackhawks left-hand shooting defensemen now include Duncan Keith, Erik Gustafsson, de Haan, Maatta, Slater Koekkoek and Carl Dahlstrom. Right-hand shots include Brent Seabrook, Connor Murphy and Henri Jokiharju, with 2018 first round draft pick Adam Boqvist possibly in the mix as well. This suggests that at least one defenseman will play on his off side—or that another trade could happen soon. Or both.
Saarela is a fast, small winger with slick puck handling who has averaged 27 goals and 47 points the last two seasons at Charlotte (AHL).
The trade could breathe new life into the respective careers of Forsberg and Forsling, both of whom, like the recently traded John Hayden, seemed to need a change of scenery. Both players were at one time in the not too distant past, seen as players with promising upside—and perhaps this is what enabled Carolina to include de Haan, whom the team signed to a four-year deal in 2018, in the trade.
The acquisitions of Maatta and de Haan add roughly $6+ million to the Blackhawks payroll for next year—the price to be paid for a quick patch job on a bad defense.
More as we hear it.