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The Chicago Blackhawks have prospects ready to make an impact on the ice. After a horrific 2023-24 campaign, Chicago is hoping to turn things around on the ice. The Blackhawks did add veteran talent in NHL Free Agency this summer. But if Chicago is going to go far, it will be the young prospects who will likely carry the load.
The Blackhawks finished near the bottom of the NHL this past year. Chicago won the second overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery back in May. With that pick, the Blackhawks selected Artytom Levshunov, a defenseman out of Michigan State. Levshunov is injured as of this writing. But he could form one of the best blueline combinations down the line with Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic.
Of course, Chicago has Connor Bedard as the cornerstone. Bedard entered the league with generational hype. And in 2023-24, he showed he had the potential to become a star in this league. Bedard eventually won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the NHL.
Chicago's youth will be the bedrock of their success moving forward. However, some veterans have certainly contributed in a big way. And the Blackhawks could capitalize on that through trade. There is one veteran forward who could receive a chance to win the Stanley Cup if traded before the 2024-25 season.
Blackhawks should trade Jason Dickinson
Jason Dickinson has emerged as a quality veteran presence for the Blackhawks. The 29-year-old joined Chicago during the 2022 offseason. His two seasons in the Windy City have seen him play better than he has at any point in his career prior.
Dickinson has scored 30+ points in each of the last two seasons. 2023-24 saw the former Guelph Storm star score a career high 22 goals and 35 points. This far outperforms his previous goal-scoring clip. His earlier career high for goals in a single season was the nine he scored in 2022-23. He also scored nine with the Dallas Stars in 2019-20.
Dickinson certainly could be a game changer in 2024-25. However, he is also a clear cut Blackhawks regression candidate in the same vein. It's hard to know if the veteran forward can replicate these numbers in the year ahead. Especially with the veteran talent added up the lineup over the summer.
With this in mind, the Blackhawks should sell high on Dickinson. He signed through 2025-26 at a sizable $4.25 million cap hit. However, the salary could be negated if the team takes back a bad contract in a trade. Any contending team trading for Dickinson is likely to be in a dollar in, dollar out situation. Chicago could use this to make the financials work.
Even if Dickinson does not score 20+ goals again, he provides value as a bottom-six option. He can take important faceoffs while providing some secondary offense when needed. His two-year contract term is also valuable as he is not a rental player. He provides depth for this upcoming season and the 2025-26 campaign.
Dickinson's market is a bit hard to gauge, but Chicago should at least receive a draft pick in return. If they take a bad contract, this could be an early-to-mid-round draft pick. Retaining salary could also help maximize the value of their return.
Jason Dickinson is a solid player who could help a contending team. He is certainly a trade candidate should he continue his performances up leading into the NHL Trade Deadline next year. However, it maybe in Chicago's best interest to sell high now and take what they can get.
