3 Bad Contracts the Chicago Blackhawks Could Take On at the Deadline To Get More Draft Picks

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson traded away any player that would net him a draft pick before last year's trade deadline. He also added two draft picks during that time from the Ottawa Senators by taking on Nikita Zaitsev's $4.5 million cap hit for 18 months.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun is reporting that Davidson might be willing to add a few more bad contracts with the salary cap space he has if he can get some extra draft picks for taking on the hassle.

LeBrun made it clear that it sounds like Davidson will only take on contracts that will expire after next season much like how Zaitsev's deal was only going to be on the Hawks' books for a short period of time.

It would also be nice to get some production out of whoever Davidson possibly brings in like Zaitsev has provided this season. Nikita has not been great, and he is currently on injured reserve, but when he has skated this season, he has played better than say, Jarred Tinordi.

Production is just an added benefit. The real aim in taking on these bad deals is to get another draft pick, preferably one in the first three rounds.

The Blackhawks got a second-round pick in last year's draft as part of the deal to pay the remainder of Zaitsev's contract. Davidson selected forward Roman Kansterov with the No. 44 pick. The teenager is already playing in the KHL, Russia's top professional league. He is the team's 14th-best prospect according to Chicago Sun-Times Blackhawks beat reporter Ben Pope.

The good thing about Kansterov is he is staying in the KHL through 2027. While that may seem like a long time for him to get to the NHL, it is a good thing as he will be a cheap addition to a team that will have Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski on their second contracts. Plus, it spaces out the wave of prospects officially coming into the organization. If some of these forwards fail during the first wave, Kansterov could end up being a suitable replacement.

The Blackhawks still need to keep stacking draft picks to put together stellar draft classes if the organization hopes to return to sustained winning. That is why Davidson is open for business to take on a bad asset if it means getting a good one as part of the deal. Plus, Davidson does not have a ton of players to trade off at the deadline, so this is another avenue to acquire more draft capital.

Three players fit the description of a relatively short-term large financial commitment with a salary cap clogging number their current playoff-contending teams might want to shed.

Nate Schmidt

The Winnipeg Jets do not have a lot of terrible contracts on their books. At the same time, the Jets do not have a lot of cap space.

Schmidt is taking up $5.95 million in cap space and that is a lot for a defenseman with just eight assists on the season. He is averaging 16:52 minutes of ice time.

He is a left-handed defenseman who can play on both sides of the ice. The Jets could move Schmidt to the Hawks much like the Senators did with Zaitsev and then use the available cap space to add a better player.

In terms of draft assets, the Jets do not own the rights to their first- and second-round picks this year. They do have Montreal's second-round pick and the Jets have all their picks for the rest of the 2024 draft. They also own the rights to all their picks for the 2025 and 2026 drafts except a fourth-round choice next year.

Although Schmidt has a no-trade clause so he would have to approve the deal.

Evgeny Kuznetsov

The chances of this happening in season are slim considering Kuznetsov is in the NHLPA Assistance Program. He has had plenty of struggles off the ice.

The Washington Capitals are reportedly wanting to get his $7.8 million cap hit off their books.

The problem is Kuznetsov is tending to personal issues, so he will probably not be traded until the summer after he completes treatment for the issues he is tackling.

He also has a modified no-trade clause, so the Hawks would need to be not on the list of teams he cannot be traded to for a deal to work.

The Capitals have all their draft picks this year except their second and seventh-round selections. They have two third-round choices this year and three second-round choices in 2025.