Blackhawks Eyeing Trade For Star Winger to Play With Connor Bedard

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James Connelly
August 26, 2023 (1:52 PM)

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The Blackhawks rebuild will be accelerated due to the emergence of Connor Bedard and he will need a star player to play alongside eventually.

Blackhawks Linked To Nylander

Recently, NHL Trade Talk linked William Nylander to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Nylander to the Blackhawks would be quite an interesting scenario. With the Blackhawks not looking competitive next year, it will be Connor Bedard's team and will be his moving forward.

Bedard is projected to have linemates of Taylor Hall and Lukas Reichel who while good are both either past their prime or young like Bedard. A player like Nylander could certainly elevate Bedard to a higher level than either of his potential linemates.

What The Blackhawks Could Give Up To Get Nylander

The Blackhawks package for Nylander would have to be a package built completely by futures. The Blackhawks' top players are Seth Jones who makes too much money, Taylor Hall who makes too much money, and Connor Bedard who would be untouchable.

However, the Blackhawks have two first-round picks in the next two drafts. They could send Toronto their 2025 1st round pick back which the Leafs could be interested in using themselves. They could also include a top prospect. Finally, they could retain 50% on a contract like Nick Foligno's or Corey Perry's to send to the Leafs to help them on their cup run.

While it would be the Leafs trading away a top player for future assets, if it is clear that Nylander is not willing to resign, we could see Chicago emerge as the highest bidder.

As seen on NHL Trade Talk - Blackhawks Should Eye Nylander During Bedard's Entry-Level Run