Chicago Blackhawks Rumor: Teddy Purcell Targeted

The Chicago Blackhawks destroyed the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, winning 7-2. On Wednesday, the Blackhawks scored five goals in a 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Artemi Panarin notched his first NHL hat trick. Despite the offensive explosion in the last two games, the Blackhawks are still in need of a top-line left winger. Andrew Shaw has filled in nicely, but the Blackhawks would benefit from Shaw playing on the third or fourth line. The need for a top-line winger might be even more pressing with Marian Hossa sidelined for the next week or so.

Several sources have said Teddy Purcell of the Edmonton Oilers is on the Blackhawks’ radar. Purcell is a solid veteran complementary winger. He has size at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, and can play either wing. He can score goals and set up other players. In his career, Purcell has 293 points in 541 games with the L.A. Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers. The knock on Purcell is his lack of consistency at the NHL level. He is also viewed by many as too passive.

More from Blackhawks News

• Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
• Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
• Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward
• Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
• Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history

With the Blackhawks looking for a scoring left wing, Purcell makes sense. Purcell’s cap hit is $4.5 million for this season, and depending on when the Blackhawks trade for him, he should fit in under their current salary cap space. The Blackhawks have $3.9 million in cap space after defenseman Rob Scuderi cleared waivers earlier Wednesday. Purcell is also unrestricted free agent after this season, so the Blackhawks would not have to commit to him long-term.

The price for Purcell shouldn’t be as high as that of former Edmonton Oiler and current Anaheim Duck David Perron. Pittsburgh grossly overpaid for Perron last season, giving up Rob Klinkhammer and first-round pick. With the Oilers in desperate need of blueliners, they could look to add a defensive prospect in moving Purcell. However, the Blackhawks do not have any average to above-average defensive prospects.

The Blackhawks are not going to part Ville Pokka for Purcell. The Oilers already have former Blackhawks prospect Adam Clendening on their roster, so maybe they don’t want any more Blackhawks defensive prospects. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal thinks the Oilers should expect a third-round pick in return for Purcell. The Blackhawks do have a third-round pick in the 2016 draft; however, they do not have a second-round pick in the 2016. Their next pick after the first round would be in the f0urth round, in which they have two picks.

General Manager Stan Bowman is a smart guy and might be able to hold on to the Blackhawks’ third-round pick while working out a deal for a top-line left wing. The Blackhawks might be able to persuade Edmonton to take a fourth-round pick and fifth-round pick. The Blackhawks currently have two fourth- and two fifth-round picks in 2016, their stock bolstered by previous trades.

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

It will be interesting to see how Bowman handles the trade deadline. He might trade for Eric Staal, but odds are against that move. He could always just trade for Kris Versteeg again, right?