When looking ahead at the trade deadline in March, the Chicago Blackhawks should be prepared to sell yet again. It was two seasons ago when the organization made the tough decision to trade away Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers, a deal that shattered the hearts of Blackhawks fans everywhere.
Now, making deals in March is something that those following the team have gotten used to. While the trade they made today isn’t to the level of a Kane deal, it still hints at what is to come down the road.
The organization agreed to a trade on Wednesday that will send Isaak Phillips to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Dmitry Kuzmin. It is a change of scenery for both defensemen who will look to spark something in their games with their new clubs.
The Chicago Blackhawks give up NHL level depth in Isaak Phillips
Phillips was a fifth round draft choice of the Blackhawks in the 2020 draft. He made his NHL debut a season later as a 20-year-old and played in four games in the 2021-22 campaign. Phillips spent most of his time with the Blackhawks bouncing back-and-forth between the NHL and Rockford. In his second professional season, he played in 16 NHL games where he scored his first career goal and had four assists.
The big leap in terms of playing time for Phillips at the NHL level came a season ago. The left-shot defenseman logged 56 games in Chicago and had six assists. Unfortunately for Phillips, he posted a plus/minus of -26. It didn’t help that the Blackhawks struggled mightily last season and Alex Vlasic was the only player on the roster to post a somewhat respectable plus/minus mark.
Phillips spent a majority of this season in the AHL prior to this deal. He only played in three games with the Blackhawks, and he netted his second career goal in his limited NHL playing time this year. Phillips brings solid size to the table at 6’3, 205 lbs. He will look to use his projectable frame to make a name of himself with the Jets.
Dmitry Kuzmin will look to shake things up in Rockford
Chicago is getting a fellow left-shot defenseman in this deal. Kuzmin is 21-years-old and has not played a single NHL game yet in his career. The 2021 third round draft choice cracked the AHL roster in the Winnipeg organization this season. In 21 games with the Manitoba Moose, Kuzmin posted a goal with three assists and a plus/minus of -9.
The young defensemen joins his fellow countryman, Artyom Levshunov in Rockford in result of this trade. Kuzmin brings more depth to an IceHog defensive core that has been dealing with injuries as of late. With Phillips gone, Kuzmin could be seen as an obvious replacement. However, that might not be the only reason why he was the piece that the Blackhawks got back in this trade.
Ethan Del Mastro is a young defensemen in Rockford that has been looking for an opportunity to get the NHL more consistently. Phillips was the guy that the team used more often than not as a guy they would move up-and-down frequently. Del Mastro could be the next man up in taking that role from Phillips in this scenario, despite his inconsistent play to end 2024.
Louis Crevier is another blue liner who has impressed the Chicago coaching staff in his most recent stint with the team. This trade of Phillips could also be a notion of them having more faith in Creiver’s abilities and ceiling moving forward than his.
The front office views a couple of the young defensemen in Rockford very highly and as guys they can build around moving forward. Trading away a guy like Phillips just opens up more opportunities for these players to shine through on the big stage.
Chicago Blackhawks receive poor first quarter grade from ESPN
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