Rumor: Team insider identifies seven potential Blackhawks who could be moved this week

It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2018-19 campaign. Mired in the basement of the NHL’s Central Division for much of the season, the Blackhawks have risen from the ashes over the past two weeks and are now somehow back in the hunt for a Stanley Cup Playoffs position. The Blackhawks are just two wins shy of claiming leapfrogging the Minnesota Wild into a playoff position, but with the NHL’s Trade Deadline now just officially a week away… what’s the plan?

Continue to push or look forward to a better campaign in 2019-20? 

In his latest column for the Chicago Tribune, Blackhawks insider Jimmy Greenfield argues that the team can have it both ways. The Hawks can continue to push for a spot while moving players for future assets… it’s not an all or nothing proposition. In fact, Greenfield identifies seven players whom the team could trade for future assets, while keeping themselves in the hunt.

Those players:

1. Cam Ward
2. Gustav Forsling
3. Slater Koekkoek
4. Carl Dahlstrom
5. Marcus Kruger
6. John Hayden
7. Brendan Perlini

Here’s the thing… Greenfield isn’t wrong… but none of these players are likely to net much on the trade market. Kruger, Hayden and Perlini are all fourth liners, at least on this team and Forsling and Koekkoek are third pairing blue liners. The goal market isn’t strong now, so Ward wouldn’t really net much and Dahlstrom can hardly seem to get himself in the lineup. So yes… these seven players could be on the move, but I sincerely hope that GM Stan Bowman isn’t waiting for the phone to ring.