3 reasons the Blackhawks should pull off a blockbuster trade for Trevor Zegras

Zegras is still young enough to be part of a rebuilding Blackhawks team

Rebuilding teams aren’t always hot spots for ideal trade candidates, and such trades mainly happen because they have a year at most left on their respective contracts and it allows the non-competitive team to ‘absorb’ that player’s salary. Sometimes, the trade occurs because rebuilding teams wouldn’t mind shopping that very player at the deadline to get a better deal for the player, but Trevor Zegras is an outlier. 

Zegras has another two years left on his current deal, and his $5.75 million AAV isn’t something the Blackhawks would need to absorb. Instead, he would have two seasons to show the front office and coaching staff he’s worth taking on for a large, long-term extension, something he would be eligible to negotiate starting in the 2025-26 season. 

Zegras is also just 23, so for a young team like the Blackhawks, he’s more than worth taking a chance on. Plus, it’s not like Chicago can’t afford to bring him in, as the Ducks are looking to hoard draft picks and prospects. 

Sure, it would cause Davidson to lose a first-round pick, plus at least one A-prospect, but we also know Zegras is a proven talent who is younger than core players like Philipp Kurashev. That said, Zegras is worth giving up some of the future in the interest of the present since he would also be part of the future.