What if the Blackhawks never traded Artemi Panarin?

One trade that keeps Chicago Blackhawks fans up at night is sending Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Panarin was a rising star with the Blackhawks when they traded him, and he has continued to improve since leaving.

He's become a 90-plus-point scorer and someone that teams can build their roster around. Many have wondered what would've happened had the Blackhawks never traded him in 2017. That's the question we'll answer today.

The Blackhawks dynasty gets extended a few years with Artemi Panarin

During the 2017-18 season, a significant problem the Hawks faced was their struggles on offense. They averaged 2.78 goals per game, 10th worst in the NHL. Part of the reason for these struggles was that no one was able to make up for Panarin's point total.

This, combined with the loss of starting goaltender Corey Crawford for the majority of the season, led to the Blackhawks missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

That season, for Columbus, Panarin tallied 27 goals and 55 assists for 82 points in 81 games. While it's unknown if he could repeat that with Chicago, he would likely put up similar numbers, especially if he was playing on the same line as Patrick Kane.

It's easy to assume that Panarin would've made them more competitive. They may not have been able to overcome the goaltending issues; however, they could be more competitive.

What this really affects is the 2018-19 season. That year, the Blackhawks only missed the playoffs by six points. While the offense was a lot better that season, adding an 87-point season from Panarin is probably enough to get them over the top.

It's enough for them to win five or six more games, giving them an extra ten points and putting them as the top wild card team in the west. They'd be set to go up against the Nashville Predators, a team that was upset by the Dallas Stars, the previous top wild card team. It's not hard to imagine a world where the Blackhawks can go on one more deep playoff run.

However, the one thing that would remain the same would be Panarin playing for a different team during the 2019-20 season. The Blackhawks would not have the cap space to offer Panarin a contract exceeding ten million dollars annually.

It's the whole reason they traded him in the first place. The only way they could have done it is if they had traded Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews, something that was not going to happen. However, extending the dynasty an extra two years seems like a good trade-off for losing Panarin in free agency.

There are two more teams that Panarin's trade affects: the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning. During the 2018-19 the Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world when they swept the Lightning in the first round.

A big reason the Blue Jackets even made the playoffs was because of Panarin. If you take him off that team, it's likely the Blue Jackets don't make it. This means the Lightning don't get upset, and potentially go on a Cup run. A year before it happened in our timeline.

Although the Blackhawks were more competitive from 2017 to 2019, numerous changes occurred. The Blackhawks likely still have three Cups, and Panarin would still be playing for another team right now. However, that's just one potential scenario.

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