The NHL Draft will be held in Chicago this year, and the Windy City’s hockey team is making some major moves this offseason. The first trade of the day made by the Chicago Blackhawks was trading defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dauphin. Their second big move was trading 2016 Calder Memorial Trophy winner Artemi Panarin, forward Tyler Motte, and a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Brandon Saad, goalie Anton Forsberg, and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.

Saad returns to the Blackhawks after having won two Stanley Cups with the team in 2013 and 2015. The American was traded to Columbus in June 2015.

Hawks Worried About Re-Signings

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, Chicago didn’t think they could sign both Hjalmarsson or Panarin when their contracts expired in two years. Panarin would have received plenty of interest in free agency in two years after tallying 151 points in his two-year NHL career.

In two years, the Swedish defenseman would be 32 but would still hold value. He offers strong defensive numbers in terms of blocking shots and having not many opponents shoot against him. He’s also an average offensive defenseman which even will be good for teams looking for a little point production out of Hjalmarsson.

Panarin will bring plenty of offense to Columbus next season (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Panarin will bring plenty of offense to Columbus next season (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Long-Term Moves

Pierre LeBrun of TSN also mentioned that the moves to get Saad and Murphy come with the knowledge that they are locked up longer. Murphy, who the Blackhawks have been interested in since last season, is locked up for another five years.

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About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.