2 Blackhawks listed among the top of early offseason trade boards

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to be active this offseason reshaping the team after another season near the bottom of the standings.

With general manager Kyle Davidson now having a coach in place, the team will inevitably turn their attention towards its roster—and the different areas they can improve.

There are plenty of players currently being named as potential trade targets, the the Blackhawks have a few players currently being named in the group.

Two players NHL teams will definitely be asking the Blackhawks about this offseason.

Frank Seravalli, of the Daily Faceoff, recently highlighted the top 20 trade targets for the offseason. Two Blackhawks were listed among the group—Connor Murphy at eighth and Lukas Reichel at 13th.

Let's start with Lukas Reichel. It's hard to imagine but Reichel has already been in the NHL for four seasons, playing in 169 NHL games and registering 54 points. Reichel was drafted 17th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft—one of the final draft picks from former GM Stan Bowman.

At 23 years old, Reichel still has the potential to become a true elite forward in the NHL, but with each passing season it seems less and less likely it happens in Chicago. Reichel struggled to stay in the lineup this past season, and when he did play it was in a limited role on the fourth line.

With another wave of prospects expected to contend for roster spots next season, it seems likely that Lukas Reichel could be on the outside looking in of the lineup with the Blackhawks. Maybe Davidson would consider a potential trade for Reichel, but he needs to be willing to live with the fact Reichel could find his game and become an NHL regular with a different team.

Murphy, 32, is entering the final year of a four year contract he signed with the Blackhawks in August 2021. The Blackhawks defenseman and alternate captain is the longest tenured Hawk left in Chicago, joining the team in 2017-18.

Seravalli mentioned the Blackhawks potential logjam on the backend with guys like Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov and Kevin Korchinski all potentially turning pro as a reason the Hawks would be interested in trading Murphy.

With the influx of young defensemen, there is a bigger need for a defenseman like Murphy on the roster—one with more than a season or two of experience.

The defensemen signed for next season in Chicago include Alex Vlasic, 23, Artyom Levshunov, 19, Rinzel, 20, Korchinski, 20, Nolan Allan, 22 and Ethan Del Mastro, 22. Additionally Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier are both expected to hit restricted free agency this offseason and could re-sign with the team.

Besides Murphy the only other veteran defenseman is TJ Brodie, 34, who is signed through next season. While the Blackhawks have a lot of potential stars on their blueline for years to come, the Hawks will need a veteran like Murphy amongst the group at least until the midpoint of next season.

If Murphy is going to be dealt from the team, it seems more likely to happen at some point during next season, unless the Hawks get an offer that knocks their socks off this offseason.