Chicago Blackhawks’ Duclair-Panik Trade: 5 Thoughts On The Swap

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman surprised us all Wednesday by converting a trade with the Arizona Coyotes, acquiring Richard Panik for Anthony Duclair

Perhaps a trade could be seen coming. After all, the Chicago Blackhawks’ rash of moves Monday and Tuesday seemed a bit out of place, given their actions throughout the rest of an up-and-down campaign.

But lo and behold, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman pulled the trigger on a decent-sized move. He sent Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin to the Arizona Coyotes for Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening.

Yes, Dauphin was acquired from Arizona in the Niklas Hjalmarsson deal. And, yes, Clendening is a former Blackhawk. But neither of those two are the key pieces of this deal. So let’s get into five thoughts on what should be known as the Duclair-Panik trade.

Change of scenery

We’ll get into how this move favors or does not favor the Blackhawks in a second. First, I’d like to point to some very interesting tweets that came out shortly after the trade was announced.

Chayka on Duclair: "There's a lot of things that go into a trade. Some of them are readily apparent. You see Anthony play and his speed and skill is obvious to everyone. There's some thing that I think should stay behind closed doors."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) January 11, 2018

#Coyotes GM John Chayka on Anthony Duclair: "It’s gone back for a few years now where the team wasn’t particularly happy with the player and the player wasn’t particularly happy with the team."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) January 11, 2018

I always equated Panik with Bickell in his style of play and streakiness. Lacked Bickell's character, though. Ducked me repeatedly during his drought. I know nobody cares about that stuff, but Sharp talks. Seabrook talks. Everyone talks while they're struggling. Panik didn't.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 10, 2018

Again, I know nobody cares about reporter stuff. But I think it offers some insight into a guy's mental fragility (which was always the knock on Panik to begin with).
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 10, 2018

If nothing else comes from this trade, it will at least give the two forwards, Duclair and Panik, a shot at a fresh start. Given Panik’s struggles this season and Duclair’s inability to live up to his rookie season so far, it seems an important step for both guys.

Blackhawks have a focus

Now, on to actually analyzing the trade. I think the Blackhawks made out really well here. Let’s first just discuss Duclair for Panik, the players and not the dollars.

The price is right

When Hjalmarsson was moved for Connor Murphy in what was primarily deemed a cost-cutting measure, some fans weren’t pleased. Murphy, after a slow start, has come around to be a solid blueliner for Chicago, though.

And some fans, again, may not be happy with Bowman cutting ties with a guy who offered a cap hit of nearly $3 million per season after one good year. But considering the key return is a player who fits better in today’s NHL, is younger and is making barely more than $1 million this season ahead of restricted free agency, this is a coup for the Blackhawks.

It’s not like Duclair has lit up the earth since his rookie season. A major raise over $1.2 million isn’t in the cards unless he goes catatonic with the Blackhawks in 2017-18. Therefore, he’s a reasonably-priced piece to actually keep around, and not just a rental. And he’s someone who can help the Blackhawks now and continue to improve later.

Here’s the monetary perspective of this deal:

Stan Bowman obviously high on Anthony Duclair as a goal-scorer. Said the cap space is an "added bonus" that can be used to sign Dylan Sikura in March.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 11, 2018

(The Sikura item was brought up by Bowman on Wednesday, not just Chicago Sun-Times writer Mark Lazerus trying his hand at soothsaying.)

By acquiring Duclair & his $1.2M cap hit, while trading away Panik & his $2.8M cap hit, the #Blackhawks reduce their overall salary cap number by $1.6M which they can now use down the road.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) January 10, 2018

There’s good stuff here beyond just the Blackhawks getting a player I think is a better fit for them right now.

The other guys

Though Duclair and Panik are the key pieces here, it’s worth mentioning Dauphin and Clendening. It’s especially interesting because the two are both going back to teams they previously played for.

Dauphin’s possible NHL spot seems to have been eaten up by David Kampf. So that led to him being expendable. Meanwhile, Clendening is simply AHL filler. He’s not an NHL-caliber defenseman right now, and we shouldn’t expect to see him used as such.

Slotting Duclair into the lineup

This is the big item right now. Where will Duclair fit into coach Joel Quenneville‘s rotation? Duclair is going to play; that isn’t a question. Who he will play alongside is.

Multiple Twitter personalities have suggested Duclair line up alongside Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane. I’d certainly be interested to see that, as it allows Ryan Hartman to slot down on the fourth line and also keeps a decently-performing third line intact.

What really gets tricky is when Artem Anisimov returns from injury. That’s going to crowd things significantly, mostly because it pushes Schmaltz back to a wing. Duclair wasn’t brought into Chicago to sit or be sent to Rockford, so he’ll find a home regardless of the situation. But Anisimov’s impending return leads to more questions of where.

There is the chance Bowman isn’t done wheeling and dealing yet, either. The Blackhawks could certainly use another defenseman Q actually trusts (though him using seven defensemen and barely playing three of them was comical Wednesday). What would it take to get such a player? That could be the reason the roster seems so crowded right now.

Next: Blackhawks Trade Panik To Coyotes For Duclair

But let’s enjoy Duclair’s arrival and his first game as a Blackhawk, which will take place Friday against Winnipeg. No matter where he fits in the lineup, I’m looking forward to a fresh boost — similar to the one provided by Vinnie Hinostroza — permeating the Blackhawks’ locker room.