Even though the Chicago Blackhawks have one of the best prospect pools in hockey and a bright future in general, they still lack an established star to pair with Connor Bedard on their roster long-term. While Bedard will be the centerpiece for the franchise for the next decade-plus, they can’t bank on any of their prospects to be his running mate before they have logged any NHL ice time.
Bringing in an established star is no easy task, especially with Chicago hanging out in the basement of the league for the past few years. They made a solid run at Jake Guentzel this past offseason in free agency, but the winger elected to sign in Tampa Bay.
If the Blackhawks are serious about bringing in a guy who has shown he can compete at an elite level to compliment their young core, they will likely have to do it through a trade. Unless general manager Kyle Davidson can hit on one of the big free agents this summer, he will have to use his highly ranked prospect pool to his advantage in the trade market.
The organization can swing big on whoever they please due to the plethora of talent that they hold in their pipeline. One guy who would tough to snag but is not completely out of the picture right now is putting the hockey world on notice through his play in the four nations faceoff tournament.
Brady Tkachuk should be on the Chicago Blackhawks radar
The left winger is just 25-years-old and plays a complete 200 foot game and isn’t afraid to get physical. Chicago needs a guy like Tkachuk in their future badly, and he brings a scoring touch along with his physicality. Entering the four nations break, Tkachuk has 21 goals and 23 assists in 56 games. He serves as Ottawa’s captain, which would be huge for the Chicago Blackhawks leadership unit as well.
The former first round draft choice has scored 30 or more goals in each of the last three seasons and is well on his way to doing so this year based on the numbers he has put up so far. The spirit and energy in which Tkachuk plays with is contagious and because of that he would instantly become a fan favorite in the Windy City.
Getting Brady Tkachuk off Ottawa might be a tough sell
Based on all of the praise Tkachuk receives for his play, it would be difficult for the Senators to ship him out. He is their captain after all and he is on a long term deal with the franchise. Following this season, Tkachuk still has three more years on his current contract, which will only make the asking price for his services higher.
Chicago has the assets necessary to make a push for Tkachuk if the Senators ever made him available. His older brother was traded away from Calgary a couple of years ago to play on his home soil with the Florida Panthers, so a deal here isn’t completely out of the question.
Chicago Blackhawks prospects receive plenty of praise in Scott Wheeler’s Top 100 rankings
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