The Blackhawks’ front office and media have droned on throughout the entire 2023-24 season that the team is expecting a quiet trade deadline. While last March was a complete bloodbath in terms of star players being sent off, we came into this week expecting a completely different strategy. Chicago locked its potential trade chips up with extensions earlier this year and doesn’t have much talent to offer a contender who is looking to add pieces at the deadline. Even head coach Luke Richardson has spoken about not just making a deal for the sake of doing so. Instead, GM Kyle Davidson and his staff will mostly be standing pat today and tomorrow.
While it’ll still be a quiet deadline for the Blackhawks, the team’s first big move came Thursday when top forward Anthony Beauvillier was sent to the Predators in exchange for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. Chicago won’t be retaining any of Beauvillier’s $4.15 million cap hit.
The move completes an interest-free loan for the Blackhawks, who brought in the 26-year-old in a trade with Vancouver back in November. They sent a fifth-rounder in exchange, so the only cost to Chicago was keeping Beauvillier’s contract on the books, which didn’t end up mattering anyway.
In his time with the Blackhawks, Beauvillier played in 23 games, recording two goals and four assists. He was a valuable asset on both ends of the ice, often playing on the same line as superstar rookie Connor Bedard.
With the Predators squarely in the running for the NHL playoffs, Chicago is doing right by a veteran who stepped up big-time when they needed him most. With the team struggling with injuries piled up, Beauvillier arrived as a solid presence on the ice, righting the ship even if the team didn’t enjoy much success in the win column.
After the road win over the Coyotes Tuesday night, Beauviller finishes his time with the Blackhawks with a single win of that kind.
Chicago isn’t expected to make many more deals, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise if veterans like Tyler Johnson and Colin Blackwell are shipped off before Friday’s deadline. The value Davidson and the front office got in return for Beauvillier wasn’t a ton, but a full return on what they initially paid for him is always a big plus. The Blackhawks’ top-line forward got his team its initial value back, so it’s a win for everyone involved.
