Perhaps we all remember the Ben Smith trade from earlier last season, which seems to have been an omen for even bigger trades to come. Over the past summer, the Blackhawks have made some bold moves regarding players from the past winning season’s roster. Many were to be expected from fans like the loss of Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya, who both now belong to the Dallas Stars, while others certainly came as a shock. Back in June, the Hawks let the young and promising Brandon Saad go to the Columbus Blue Jackets with a new six-year $36 million deal, which is far more than Chicago could have given him with their limited cap space. Despite the inevitable losses of key players in the salary cap era, even Blackhawks’ coach Joel Quenneville stated that he and the team “were all surprised” by his departure. Teammate Andrew Shaw expressed his regrets on Twitter: “Wishing a good teammate, friend, and great roommate the best of luck with his new team. You will be missed buddy @BSaad20”. Unfortunately, this all comes with the business of the game. Other cap casualties from this summer include Antoine Vermette, Antti Raanta, and in order to afford to sign Marcus Kruger, Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom were also traded. Next on the chopping block will likely be Bryan Bickell. Nonetheless, the Blackhawks have acquired new young talent to pair with their veterans, which should mean another great season for Chicago.

Information for this article was acquired from The Score app.