Chicago Blackhawks’ Michal Kempny Subject Of A Trade Rumor

Michal Kempny came out of the press box Thursday and scored a goal for the Chicago Blackhawks. Then, he became part of a trade rumor.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been inconsistent in a lot of different areas. One thing they have been consistent with all season long is their unwillingness to play Michal Kempny.

Kempny has spent the majority of this season in the press box. He has only appeared in 14 games  total for the season. He went nearly a month between appearances. Despite playing against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, Kempny is now the subject of a trade rumor swirling around Twitter.

Our good friend John Jaeckel of The Rink heard a rumor regarding Kempny.

This rumor makes sense

The rumor of Kempny being traded makes sense, and it makes sense for three reasons. First reason, his lack of playing time. He has appeared in 14 games this season. That is the second-fewest among defensemen on the ’Hawks this season. Only Jordan Oesterle has played in fewer games on defense, though he has played in the last three games. Two of those three games Oesterle played over Kempny.

In my mind, I firmly believe that if Erik Gustafsson was healthy and recalled instead of Ville Pokka, Gustafsson would have played over Kempny. That’s how much the ‘Hawks refuse to play him.

In addition to not being played by the coaching staff, who would Kempny replace on the blue line right now? Gustav Forsling? No. Duncan Keith? No. Connor Murphy appears to be coming into his own on the left side, and Jan Rutta was solid before getting hurt. It is a numbers game for Kempny, and he is the odd man out.

The third reason is ‘Hawks would not waive Kempny. He can be claimed and, unlike Tanner Kero, he would most certainly be claimed by another team if the ‘Hawks tried to send him to Rockford.

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It appears the best course of action for both sides would be for the Hawks to find a trade partner for Kempny.  It appears the Rutta injury will give Kempny a little bit of a showcase before, hopefully, the Blackhawks can move him. Once Rutta gets healthy, the ‘Hawks can get another forward.