The Chicago Blackhawks officially began their rebuild when they traded away Brandon Hagel, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Ryan Carpenter before the deadline passed. The Anaheim Ducks also were major sellers this year, as they moved Hampus Lindholm, Rickard Rakell, Josh Manson, and Nicolas Deslauriers. Although both teams were very busy, they also each had players who surprisingly weren’t dealt. Due to this, one has to wonder if they could be potential trading partners during the offseason. Let’s dive into why now.
Ducks Expressed Interest in Dominik Kubalik
Dominik Kubalik was in the rumor mill before the trade deadline but surprisingly ended up staying put. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Ducks were one of the teams who expressed serious interest in the 26-year-old winger (from ‘Blackhawks trade buzz: Marc-Andre Fleury situation remains a conundrum’, Chicago Sun-Times, 03/11/22). However, a deal did end not happening. Yet, with him being a pending restricted free agent (RFA), perhaps this is an avenue that could be explored during the summer. Keep in mind, he will still be under team control, so he could be moved without a new contract.
Kubalik is a player who would probably benefit from a change of scenery. It’s been a rough year for the forward, as he has 11 goals, 11 assists, and a minus-20 rating in 64 games. Although those numbers aren’t terrible, they are still far too low for his standards. This is a forward who scored 30 goals in 68 games as a rookie just two seasons ago. Last season, he followed that up with a 38-point campaign in 56 contests. Thus, he has shown the potential to be a legitimate top-six forward, but things have changed noticeably this season.
Yet, when looking at how much success Kubalik had during his first two seasons, it does make sense for a team like the Ducks to pursue him. Although he has struggled this season, there’s reason to believe that he could bounce back. If he were to be moved to Anaheim, he would have the chance to play with forwards like Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Adam Henrique, and Ryan Getzlaf. Perhaps that could be enough to help him find his old form.
Blackhawks Should Target Max Comtois
Earlier this month, Jeff Marek reported that Max Comtois was getting trade interest from around the league. One year ago, nobody could have imagined that the Ducks would be open to moving him. In his first full season last year, he had 16 goals and a team-leading 33 points in 55 games. With numbers like these, there was reason to believe that the 23-year-old would be a long-term part of their top six. Yet, that has changed immensely since, as he has just three goals and eight assists in 40 games this campaign. With that, the team also has made him a healthy scratch on numerous occasions.
With the Ducks trading Rickard Rakell at the deadline, Comtois should once again get regular playing time for the remainder of the season. However, with how things have gone for him this year, it is easy to believe that he wouldn’t oppose a move elsewhere. Since the Blackhawks are rebuilding, they could be an excellent destination for the 2017 second-round pick. When looking at their current roster, it’s fair to say that he could instantly become a very important forward for them if acquired, too.
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