Here’s a blockbuster. Per TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Brandon Saad and two prospects to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package that includes Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, Artem Anisimov and a fourth-round draft choice.
Morin, Tropp, Anisimov and Dano and 4th in 2016 for Saad, Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst. CBJ-CHI deal.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 30, 2015
On first glance the move works for both sides.
Columbus gets a very good player in Saad, who scored 23 goals last year and is still just 22 years old.
Chicago doesn’t have to worry about another team offer sheeting Saad and losing him to unrestricted free agency. The package they received is solid as well. Marko Dano put up 21 points in just 35 games with the Blue Jackets during his rookie season where he split time between the NHL and AHL.
Anisimov battled injuries last season but is a good second/third line center. Morin and Tropp aren’t prospects, but both are young enough to still show more than they have in their brief NHL careers. Worst case scenario they are depth pieces.
The Blackhawks had to have some cap casualties from their Stanley Cup winning team since Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews new deals meant the team would have a lot of trouble keeping Saad, especially if he was signed to front-loaded offer sheet. This way, they get a very good young player (Dano) and some nice pieces. Could they have gotten more? Possibly, but at the end of the day they received a solid return for a player who was asking for a lot of money entering restricted free agency.
