NHL insider says Blackhawks open to trading high draft picks, forwards for immediate help on offense

After dropping their sixth straight game in a brutal 9-2 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Chicago Blackhawks are reportedly looking to make changes, and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman provided some insight into what they could look like.

Changes are afoot for the Blackhawks

On Monday's episode of his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman spoke at length about the Blackhawks, starting with the point that GM Kyle Davidson and the management team have been "out there and they're looking hard at things" when it comes to possible trades. 

Friedman noted that Chicago holds major leverage in its draft capital. The team's first- and second-round picks could be high once again if they continue to struggle this season and they also own Edmonton's first-round pick from the Jason Dickinson trade and Florida's first-round pick from the Seth Jones-for-Spencer Knight deal. Chicago also holds Vancouver's 2024 second-round pick from the Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty trade, which could become a fringe first-rounder now that the Canucks are struggling.

Friedman said that with all of those picks, the Blackhawks could potentially own five picks in the first 35 selections. He didn't foresee another trade like the Bowen Byram deal, in which Chicago moved out of the very top of the draft, but he firmly believes Davidson has been shopping the team's other first-round picks as well as the second-rounders.

"I think the draft picks could go for sure, I'm not sure about the high one there, their first," Friedman explained. "I don't know if you can do that two years in a row, but I definitely believe the Florida one and the Edmonton one are out there."

Friedman also said players like Teuvo Teräväinen and Jordan Greenway have both been "out there" in trade discussions. A middle-six forward like Teräväinen and an impact bottom-six forward like Greenway are decent chips to pair with a large haul of picks, and the combination could lead Chicago to consider some major moves. Friedman said the Blackhawks are looking for help up front.

"It's very clear to me based on what I've heard, they want to upgrade their roster, and I think they feel that one thing that Bedard absolutely needs is offensive help," Friedman explained. "I do think the Blackhawks are trying to do something. I think they are trying to find, in particular, offensive help."

Possible solutions on open market

What that looks like is yet to be seen, but several notable players are on the trade block. Washington Capitals forward Ivan Miroshnichenko, a 22-year-old former first-round pick, is looking for a change of scenery and could get a fresh look in the Windy City. He wouldn't bring immediate firepower, having played just 55 NHL games, but he could be an exciting experiment.

For bigger moves, the Blackhawks could explore players without trade protection, like 34-year-old Bryan Rust. He has five points in seven games this season before going down with an injury, which would lower his trade value, and before that he put up 91 goals and 100 assists for 191 points in 212 games since the start of 2023-24 season.

He could be a major upgrade on Connor Bedard's wing, and Pittsburgh is looking to rebuild. Moving on from Rust, who has deep ties with captain Sidney Crosby, would be a tough decision, but one the Penguins could make if the price is right.

Another player without trade protection that would be a massive swing would be Calgary's Matt Coronato. The 23-year-old former 13th overall pick coming off back-to-back 45-plus-point seasons to start his NHL career and would be a major addition to their top-six. 

The Flames aren't out of the playoff race, sitting just four points out, and could view Coronato as a cornerstone of their rebuild. However, if Chicago could persuade Calgary to kick the can down the road and move the winger for a haul of picks and players, it would give the Blackhawks a long-term fixture on Bedard's wing.

With many options around the league, the question for Blackhawks fans is how hard the team wants to swing when it comes to adding offensive help.

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