With little direction and no identity, what can the Blackhawks do now?

Fourth, do what all fans have been calling for all year- bring up Lukas Reichel. He has 14 points in 18 games and a world of upside. And he shouldn't be coming alone. Alexander Nylander needs another chance in Chicago before he is written off. Nylander has a ton of speed and skill. He just needs a coach who can light his fire. Bring those two up and send Henrik Borgstrom and Philipp Kurashev to Rockford. Both have had ample opportunity to stake their claim on this roster and failed to do so. Glimpses of what they can do isn't cutting it. Plus, the incoming coach and GM will need to know what Reichel and Nylander bring to the table.

Finally, Chicago should put Dominik Kubalik on the trade block. He is a restricted-free agent on the last year of his contract. He has a $3,700,000 cap hit. Through 32 games, Kubalik has only 12 points, five of those coming on the powerplay. He simply hasn't become the offensive power house that he was projected to be. He could provide a second line powerplay unit a shot from the dot if there is a need for a playoff team. The return would likely be a prospect, but would help give Chicago a lot of salary cap wiggle room.

There are other moves that the Blackhawks could make, but these are no-brainers. Do these now, collect the $15 million in cap space. The new GM and coach will have space to work with and be able to set this team on a definable path. Straddling the line between contending and rebuilding was a bust. Time to get serious about rebuilding from the ground up. And that brings up Jonathan Toews.....well, that's another article.