What Assets Do Contenders Have to Offer the Chicago Blackhawks to Take On Salaries to Facilitate Trades?

Colorado Avalanche

CapFriendly has the Avalanche at having just about $2 million in cap space at the deadline.

The Avalanche have their first-round picks through 2026. They do not have a second or third-round pick this year. They also lack their second-round choice in 2025. They do have five picks in rounds four through seven in this year's draft. Not having that 2025 second-round choice is the only pick in the next two drafts they have traded away.

The Avalanche has plenty of draft assets in 2025 and 2026 to entice the Blackhawks to take on some salary cap hits if they need a third-party facilitator.

Wheeler ranks Colorado's farm system at No. 26 (subscription required).

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks already made one of the biggest deals this season when they traded for Elias Lindholm. Vancouver has around $2 million in cap space for the deadline according to CapFriendly.

The Canucks do not have many draft picks this year. They already traded the first and second-round picks. Their third and fourth-round choice also have conditions on them. The Canucks have just two sixth-round selections and a seventh in 2024.

Vancouver has the rights to most of their draft picks in 2025 and 2026. The problem is they do not own the rights to the third-round picks in those years.

The Canucks have the 18th-best farm system according to Wheeler (subscription required).

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are five points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot. CapFriendly has them having $2.5 million in cap space at the deadline. The Kings have just four picks in this year's draft--a first, fourth, sixth, and seventh.

They do have their full complement of draft picks in 2025 and 2026. Wheeler ranks their farm system as the 17th-best in the NHL (subscription required).