Insider reports say the Chicago Blackhawks have entered the trade market

They are in the market for a young second-line center.

Jonathan Daniel/GettyImages
1 of 3

The Chicago Blackhawks season has started with some positive and negative takeaways.

A series of bad starts has led to the team falling behind early in games in which were winnable once they found their rhythm.

Once the Blackhawks start playing their game, they are hard on the forecheck and maintain puck possession. The scoring chances have also been coming much easier than last season, though the puck luck has not been.

This has led to players like Philipp Kurashev, who has had only one assist through six games, being scratched against the Vancouver Canucks,

It is apparent that the Blackhawks' roster is still trying to find their chemistry in these early goings of the season, though one area remains a question mark even after the additions made this summer, the second line center.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts that the Blackhawks, among other teams, are in the market for a centerman.

Addressing the second-line center position was one of the main areas of concern going into this offseason for the Blackhawks. It was expected that players like Frank Nazar, Andreas Athanasiou, and potentially Philipp Kurashev would end up filling that void.

However, it seems as though the Blackhawks would like to explore the idea of bringing in a young center to anchor the second line for now and the future.

It is mentioned in Friedman's post that teams are not lining up to trade away their centers right now, so the pickings may end up being slim if there are options out there for the Blackhawks.

If the market opens up with young centers available, there will likely be a bidding war between the multiple teams currently exploring the market. This could lead to an interesting development if the Blackhawks truly go all-in on filling out the second line center spot.

Schedule