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Chicago Blackhawks Talking Deal With Vegas Golden Knights

By Sean Fitzgerald

Apr 20, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Harry Zolnierczyk (26) works against Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 20, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Harry Zolnierczyk (26) works against Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 20, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Harry Zolnierczyk (26) works against Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 20, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Harry Zolnierczyk (26) works against Chicago Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger (16) during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

The Chicago Blackhawks are reportedly talking to the league’s newest franchise about a possible deal

Frank Servalli of TSN has been reporting on Twitter that the Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights are talking about a potential deal. The deal is two-fold, according to Servalli.

The Hawks would trade Marcus Kruger to the Golden Knights in a salary dump for a low draft pick, and then Vegas would select Trevor Van Riemsdyk in the NHL expansion draft. The Blackhawks are not going to be able to protect van Riemsdyk in the draft as their roster currently stands.

The deal also could be reversed, but regardless, the Golden Knights would get Kruger and TVR.

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The Blackhawks would get salary cap relief. As it currently stands today, the Blackhawks are close to $4.5 million over the salary cap per Cap Friendly.  Kruger ($3,083,333) and TVR ($825,000) would give the Blackhawks $3,908,333 off their current cap situation.

The winners clearly would be the Golden Knights in this deal, getting a quality third-line center/penalty killer and a young cost effective defenseman.

Similar To the Bickell Deal

The Kruger and TVR trade would be similar to the Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen deal to Carolina last year.

The Blackhawks had to give a prospect type player to sweeten the deal for teams to take the higher cap hit contract.

The talk of a deal with Vegas also is another sign of how bad the Kruger and Bickell signings were at the time. Bickell unfortunately had health issues that hammered his play while Kruger was just plain overpaid.

Kruger took less money on his two-year $2,700,000 deal to help the Blackhawks stay under the cap back in 2013-14. Stan Bowman rewarded Kruger with a head-scratching three-year $9,250,000 deal. Kruger’s stat line from last year was 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points with a Corsi-for of 50.3 percent and a Fenwick of 53 percent.

He has a higher cap hit than Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov, who contributed 19 goals and 40 assists for 59 points with a CF of 52.2 percent and a Fenwick of 51.5 percent this season.

You can look within the Blackhawks’ division and Kruger has a higher cap hit than Minnesota’s Mikael Granlund. Granlund had 26 goals and 43 assists for 69 points and a CF% of 49.3 and Fenwick of 50.5 percent.

Everyone credits Bowman for keeping the Blackhawks in contention while balancing the cap. Well, it appears this deal was a bad contract.

Even if this deal goes through, the Blackhawks still need to make another deal to get under the cap.

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