The Blackhawks should approach the trade deadline seeking to buy and sell assets

The 2026 Winter Olympics are fast approaching, and I couldn't be more excited to finally get to watch NHL players participating in the event for the first time since I was 14. However, while the Olympic break means competition for the players attending and jubilation for hockey fans everywhere who get to see an actual best-on-best international hockey tournament again, NHL general managers will approach the Olympic break with different priorities.

Kyle Davidson, being no exception, will be a very busy man over the next month. No one should envy him for the job he has in front of him, as difficult decisions abound. Namely, what will the young general manager do with Blackhawks veterans like Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson? What is the plan to ensure that enough young players get opportunities in the NHL as spots become available? What will he do with the plethora of 2026 draft picks the Blackhawks have acquired in recent years?

The most pressing piece of business would seem to be whether the Blackhawks should be "buyers "or "sellers." But even posing the question in that way creates the illusion of a binary choice. I have a different alternative for Davidson to pursue.

Time to buy, and time to sell

Instead of buying OR selling, the Blackhawks should buy AND sell. The goal of this trade deadline should be to move veterans on expiring contracts while beginning to acquire players who could benefit the team going forward, rather than merely acquiring draft capital.

Some of the obvious players who seem to be on their way out are Murphy and Dickinson, and possibly Ilya Mikheyev, although I would personally try to keep him and extend his contract to a reasonable deal. But after moving those players out to teams looking to add at the deadline, the next order of business should be to look to add.

A big name that has been floating around as very likely to be dealt before the trade deadline is former Blackhawk Artemi Panarin. I would love to see the Blackhawks take a real run at acquiring him to ride shotgun to Connor Bedard. Still, it seems very unlikely that they will do so, given the fact that Davidson has maintained the long view of building through the draft and not over-committing to aging star players who will ask for massive extensions.

So, here are a few more reasonable players that the Blackhawks could look to add.

Connor Garland

Connor Garland has long been rumored to be dealt as the Canucks are clearly entering a full-scale rebuild and teardown after flipping Quinn Hughes earlier in the season. Still just 29 years old, Garland has proven to be a reliable scorer and culture guy for the Coyotes and now for the Canucks. So far this season, he has 22 points in 44 games, including only seven goals. He could use a reset, and he is precisely the type of piece Vancouver should be looking to move.

On the Blackhawks' end, he would fit in very nicely in the middle six for the next few years as a player who can complement the young, exciting prospects the team has entering the NHL in the coming seasons. Acquiring him also shouldn't be too difficult to achieve. The Blackhawks have five second-round draft picks in the next two drafts, and I would imagine one of those, plus maybe a B-tier prospect, could get a deal done. Garland also has cost control going forward as he is signed through 2031 at $6,000,000 per season. And in a rising cap environment, that is a pretty reasonable price for what Garland can provide as a consistent 40-50 point scorer.

Vincent Trochek

Vincent Trochek is another player that the Blackhawks should look into adding, as he can add something to this team that they have been lacking in recent seasons. Trochek is known as a good two-way player similar to Jason Dickinson, who the Blackhawks are likely to move. However, unlike Dickinson, he plays a two-way game and consistently scores 20 or more goals per season. He is headed to the Olympics in a few days, and so he is clearly well respected and valued around the league. However, with the Rangers' season on life support, it has become clear that they will be sellers at the deadline, meaning veterans like Trochek, Panarin, and possibly Mika Zibanejad could be on the move.

Most importantly, he is the kind of veteran that the Blackhawks should be looking to add. He is a highly skilled player, with tons of playoff experience, on a hefty salary that will help the Blackhawks to hit the cap floor next season. He will be a free agent in 2029, meaning that he could help bridge the gap between the current Blackhawks team and the future Blackhawks team when all the young star prospects are here full-time. And while he will help serve as a bridge, he will also be an impactful, everyday top-nine forward.

So while the propensity is to consider one's team either a buyer or a seller, it would best serve the Blackhawks to walk the line between the two. Maximize value from the players we know won't be re-signed, while adding solid players who will help move the team forward as we pursue a playoff spot as early as next season.