Chicago Blackhawks: Stan Bowman’s 7 Worst Trades as GM

6. Teuvo Teräväinen (2016)

For those that think I missed the Brandon Saad trade, I didn’t. I don’t think it was a terrible trade. For the money that Saad was getting paid and the lack of production, it wasn’t terrible. In that trade, the Blackhawks received Artem Anisimov. Anisimov was cheaper and filled the second-line center role the Blackhawks needed.

In 291 games as a Blackhawk, Anisimov scored 77 goals and had 78 assists for 155 points. In Saad’s return to Chicago, he hasn’t hit 100 points yet. In 209 games, he has just 92 points. He could catch up to 155 before 291 games, but as of right now, it wasn’t a terrible trade.

Now, to get on the Teuvo Teräväinen trade, it makes no sense. Teräväinen is just 25 years old and has 282 NHL points in 418 career games. Teräväinen has become an all-star this season. In 58 games, he has 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points. Last season in 82 games, he scored 21 goals and had 55 assists for 76 points.

Teräväinen will be a 100-plus point player shortly. He has a lot of talent and is a fantastic player. The Blackhawks pay Saad $6,000,000 AAV for less production. Teräväinen is paid $5,400,000 AAV per season.

During the Hurricanes shocking playoff run last season, Teräväinen put up 10 points in 15 games. He’s become a key player for that team. Just imagine what the Blackhawks could have had.

Trade Details:

Let’s just say, with those two draft picks, the Blackhawks messed up again. They drafted Artur Kayumov. They traded the 2017 third-round pick to Detroit, where they’d draft Keith Petruzzelli. The 2016 and 2017 draft class wasn’t beefed with talent outside the first two rounds, but still, why was this trade made?

Was It Worth It?

No, this was one of the worst trades in Blackhawks’ history. Every time Teräväinen scores, I wonder, why did Bowman let this guy go? They could have so much talent on this team right now, but they traded it all away for nothing.