The Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators have completed a trade. The Blackhawks have acquired Nikita Zaitsev, a second in 2023 and a fourth in 2026 for future considerations going to Chicago. Essentially, the Senators have paid a couple of picks to move a $4.5 million cap hit and nearly $6 million in real cash off the books on Zaitsev’s deal and pay to do it.
Chris Johnston writes, “Zaitsev had a limited no-trade clause, but didn’t have to waive for this move to Chicago.
As Frank Seravalli writes, “The question is … what’s next for Ottawa?”Are they in the mix for a big-name defenseman? They’ve been rumored in the past to be interested in Jakob Chychrun. There have also been rumors connecting them to other expensive blue-line options.
While it’s possible the Senators make a push to upgrade their defense, one thing to keep in mind is that the Senators may be trying to rid the organization of major expenses in lieu of an ownership change. There may not be a big move coming to bring back a contract if the plan is to simply save money until the club is sold.
This deal also potentially helps the Blackhawks with the salary cap floor, assuming they trade Patrick Kane and a number of other players as they become sellers over the next few days and heading into the NHL Trade Deadline. This also ensures they’ll have NHL bodies on defense for the rest of this season if Jack Johnson, Jake McCabe, etc. are moved before March 3 trade deadline. The Blackhawks were said to be willing participants in deals where they would take on contracts. This deal certainly proves that.
The Blackhawks now have 13 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts.
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