Blackhawks: Responding to a hypothetical trade of Andersen to Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks go have a goaltending situation, but trading a key prospect for a 30-year-old goalie who hasn’t even won anything isn’t the move.

The Chicago Blackhawks have offered Corey Crawford a one-year deal to stay in Chicago for $3,500,000. That is cheaper than what a hypothetical trade of Freddie Andersen to Chicago would cost them.

Where does this trade come from? It comes to our friends over at editorinleaf.com, another site partnered with FanSided.

The trade is Frederik Andersen to Chicago, for Adam Boqvist and Chicago’s 2021 first-round pick. That is a lot to ask for, especially for a goalie that hasn’t won anything and is nearing the end of his prime.

This isn’t a knock to anyone who thinks this is a decent trade, but this 120% benefits the Maple Leafs over the Hawks. As a fan, I understand the thought, but it’s already a no. It would be worse than the Artemi Panarin trade, and that was terrible.

The Hawks would be giving up a future star on their blue line and a first-round pick in 2021, which could be a lottery pick, as with the Hawks, there’s no telling what they’ll be like next season. They have two goalies in Rockford that are cheaper and better fits than Andersen, as they’re younger and have a decently medium-to-high ceiling.

Besides the trade being so lopsided, the next issue is Chicago’s salary cap. The Blackhawks right now have just over $6,000,000 to spend. If Corey Crawford signs for $3,500,000 they’ll have even less. There’s going to be a defenseman or forward either traded or bought out to make room to sign Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik. Getting rid of one defenseman to help the salary cap doesn’t mean they should get rid of Boqvist to open up another hole.

There will be defensemen from Rockford who step up next season at times, but there’s no way the Hawks would give up on Boqvist, their 8th-overall pick in 2018 after one season. They’ve invested a lot into this guy already, as his ceiling so very high.

$5,000,000 AAV is a lot for an aging goalie, who again, hasn’t won anything. Is he an upgrade from Crawford? Potentially, but giving up Boqvist isn’t even a question. None of those young studs in Chicago are going anywhere, anytime soon. Their ceilings are just too high.

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Andersen to Chicago is too risky, to begin with, even if it was for less. His contract is too high, even if it is for one year. It’s a no for me and there’s no way Stan Bowman would even think about it. The phone would be hung up.