Hawks target Canucks forward for a trade!

They may be rivals, but Chicago doesn't care anymore!

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Published 5 years ago
Hawks target Canucks forward for a trade!
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There is surely a list of issues the Chicago Blackhawks are facing this season. It has been a rough one...  They are currently sitting in sixth place of the Central Division ahead of only the St. Louis Blues. What has gone wrong for the storied franchise?! 

In life, the important thing is to focus on solutions, not the problems. And so, it seems appropriate that general manager Stan Bowman is looking for another way to help his team. Several weeks ago, the Hawks fired head coach Joel Quenneville to replace him with Jeremy Colliton, but now, something is needed on the ice. 

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Bowman has been travelling around to catch as much action as possible and potentially target key players that can bring immediate help to his roster. In his latest 31 Thoughts column on Sportsnet, Friedman explains that the Blackhawks might be going after one precise forward... from the Vancouver Canucks. 

The Blackhawks are really pounding the pavement. GM Stan Bowman was at Arizona/Los Angeles on Tuesday. Cap-ologist Kyle Davidson made their last trip, which is not a regular occurrence. They had two scouts at Los Angeles/Vancouver last Tuesday, three at Dallas/Calgary on Wednesday and two more the following night for Los Angeles/Edmonton. That’s more Kings than in a blackjack shoe.
Chicago might be thinking about Sam Gagner, too. He chose Vancouver over them in the summer of 2017. They were interested.

This could be the best time to convince the Canucks and Gagner to make a move to Chicago. On Tuesday, Vancouver confirmed that the team had loaned Gagner to the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League for the second time this season. 

After he was waived by the Canucks and went unclaimed back in October, Gagner asked the Canucks to loan him to the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ minor-league team, rather than play for the Utica Comets. On Nov. 18, the Canucks recalled Gagner after he was loaned and playing in Toronto. He posted seven goals and 15 points through 15 games and was hoping the call back from Vancouver was a chance to resurrect his career in the NHL. 

However, he landed back in Toronto with the Marlies... 

This potential trade could be quite beneficial for Gagner, who could bloom from this change of scenery and help the Hawks get back into contention. 

The 29-year-old put up 31 points at the NHL level with Vancouver last season. He signed with Vancouver as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2017, agreeing to a three-year, $9.45-million contract.

The former first round pick took part in seven games with the Canucks this season, in which he recorded a goal and three points. 

The Canucks and the Hawks may be rivals, but Chicago doesn't care anymore! 


Source: Sportsnet