Chicago Blackhawks’ Tomas Jurco Needs To Be Waived

The Chicago Blackhawks brought in Tomas Jurco late last season to bolster their bottom six, but it’s clear he’s not giving the team what it needs

The Chicago Blackhawks need to pull the plug on the Tomas Jurco experiment. Jurco was not very good last season and thus far this preseason has been outplayed by younger players John Hayden and Vinnie Hinostroza. I would be hard-pressed to argue why the the Blackhawks should keep him on their roster.

When general manager Stan Bowman acquired Jurco for a third-round draft pick last season, people were scratching their heads. Jurco only appeared 16 games with Wings in 2016-17. He did not have a point and had a 43.0 Corsi-for percentage.

Jurco was a second-round pick in 2011 and had shown some potential with 15 goals and 24 assists before the trade, and some even speculated Jurco could become the next Red Wings star. However, this trade now feels similar to the David Rundblad trade of 2014.

The ’Hawks were taking a chance on Jurco and decided to see what he had left. It was a low-risk move for a higher reward if Jurco panned out. He was given a limited opportunity to show the coaching staff his potential.

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He appeared in 13 games with the ’Hawks last season. In his 13 games, he scored one goal and had a 56.0 Corsi-for percentage. The reviews on Jurco were less than impressive. I had my doubts that he deserved another contract with the team heading into this season, and others agreed. He played so poorly that there was even speculation that the Blackhawks would not resign the restricted free agent.

The ’Hawks eventually signed Jurco to a one-year, $800,000 contract this summer. The contract shows me the Blackhawks have little faith in Jurco. Based on his performance this training camp, the Blackhawks were right not to given more than a one-year contract, as he has been bad.

How bad, you ask? Twitter has our answer:

It is clear to me and everyone else watching that Jurco needs to go.

What can the Blackhawks do with Jurco?

Bowman could look to try and recoup a draft pick for Jurco. I doubt the ’Hawks would get a third-round pick for Jurco. I would think it would be more like a fifth- or sixth-round pick at best. Perhaps some organization thinks it can help Jurco reach his potential. Perhaps that team just needs another a forward.

I seriously doubt the ’Hawks will find a taker for Jurco, though.

So if the ’Hawks cannot trade Jurco, they should waive him, right? To quote Lee Corso, not so fast. Bowman invested a third-round pick in acquiring Jurco. He might force coach Joel Quenneville into keeping him on the main roster.

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If the coach decides he has no use for Jurco and Bowman instead waives the forward, some team will claim him. He will get another chance because of his “potential.” I hope the ’Hawks do not give him a chance this season.