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With each passing day, more and more speculation begins to surround Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
The twenty-five year old has become an object of trade affection of late, and although the Blackhawks front office hasn't been vocal about his availability, general consensus is that he could beh ad for the right price.
If the above-mentioned is accurate, and Niklas Hjalmarsson is one of the pieces the Chicago Blackhawks are looking to move, then expect Ottawa Senators General Manager Bryan Murray to make the first -- and best -- offer for his services.
Hjalmarsson, while not an elite first-pairing type, is a solid top-four blue liner who can play well on both ends of the ice. And, at a relatively young age, one has to wonder if his developmental curve has truly reached its apex. Is there more room for growth? It's always possible.
Hjalmarsson's offensive output probably won't ever blow up the stat sheet, but a transition from one up-tempo system in Joel Quenneville's to the next in Paul MacLean's certainly won't hurt. Nor will shedding the likes of Nick Leddy a/o Brent Seabrook -- his two most common linemates last year -- for the likes of Norris Trophy finalist Erik Karlsson.
General consensus in Chicago is that Niklas Hjalmarsson may have reached a plateau over the past year and change, but perhaps a change in scenery for the rearguard in his fourth-full professional season would be best for all parties involved.
Paul MacLean's priority in the off-season was filling at least one top-four vacancy as a byproduct of Filip Kuba's expiring contract and Sergei Gonchar's decreasing role with the team in the final year of his deal.
Getting their man, though, didn't necessarily mean scouring another incredibly weak UFA class and overpaying for a marginally-productive commodity. With so many young pieces and assets currently in the organization, the Ottawa Senators -- much like they did in the Kyle Turris trade -- could and should be entertaining the trading block.
Did I mention the team has ~ $33M in cap space? The Chicago Blackhawks, on the other hand, have $8M, with a number of RFA and UFA players to potentially re-up. Further, the team would certainly like to have some money to play with as buyers for this UFA class, should a talent like D Ryan Suter become available on July 1st.
Which brings me to the driving point of this blog: Chicago may or may not like Hjalmarsson's game, but at a $3.5M cap hit, he's not exactly a cheap commodity. Moving him and replacing him temporarily with a temporary league-average replacement may not hurt the overall output of the team, and would still free up a ton of dollar to pursue other options.
Ottawa, on the other hand, looks at a $3.5M annual hit with a smile. They're not going to be a cap team in Y2 of the
zerothree-year rebuild, but bringing in a top-four player at this price -- especially when pegged against the likes of what UFA players like Bryan Allen and Barret Jackman are projected to earn -- seems like a logical move.
Further, HockeyBuzz's John Jaeckel of the Chicago Blackhawks speculated that the price of Hjalmarsson could look accordingly: F Zack Smith and a future draft-selection. Even as a staunch advocate of Zack Smith's game, there's a lot of sense in moving him in this kind of deal. First, Zack Smith's probably more suited for the wing as opposed to the center position, and second, the influx of young forwards into Ottawa's ranks are going to inevitably push some names out. Smith's not in danger of losing TOI in the immediate future because of his role in the bottom-six, but in terms of sheer numbers // bodies, he's become a bit more expendable.
At this or a similar kind of price, Ottawa and Chicago can find valuable trading partners in one another.
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