The rumor mill is already starting to percolate in the NHL. With so many significant injuries and underwhelming starts to the season, there are teams already trying to gauge the market as a buyer. And there are teams who are being projected as sellers already as well.
What makes this conversation different this time around for the Blackhawks is they might be in the buyer category for the first time in… almost a decade.
Fans have been banging the drum to buy buy buy for years. The Blackhawks, under the leadership of general manager Kyle Davidson, have been conservative and remained on plan. Even when there may have been opportunities to chase a bigger ticket, the Blackhawks’ brass has stayed the course.
But now the Blackhawks are playing at a playoff level. Yes, I said it. The Blackhawks are in a wild card spot the week before Thanksgiving. Their young players are playing as well/better than some expected in the NHL already, and the new coaching staff has them flying up and down the ice.
Which has led a lot of people in and out of Chicago to wonder if the Blackhawks could be a sneaky buyer this season.
Over the weekend I saw a clip of our old friend Colby Cohen and Jonny Lazarus from their podcast at Daily Faceoff talking about whether or not the Blackhawks will make a bold move this season if the team continues to trend in the right direction. Cohen was spot on when he said Davidson has remained committed to his plan and won’t sacrifice the long term for immediate gains without a deal being significant.
Which brings us to the last part of that sentence: “without a deal being significant.” How do we define significant at this point in the Blackhawks’ building timeline?
Blackhawks Big Picture
Beyond the player being a fit, there are three specific things to consider when we start thinking about the Blackhawks possibly making a move.
First: is there someone actually available who can help take the Blackhawks to another level.I put “actually available” in italics there because there are still folks who complain the Blackhawks didn’t sign Mitch Marner this past summer. He was never available to the Blackhawks. That’s not a pipe dream. It’s foolish dreaming.
The second thing to consider is a very real issue the Blackhawks will have to deal with for at least one more season: the NHL’s salary floor.With more and more players coming up on entry-level contracts, and only Connor Bedard needing what I think at this point would be considered a significant extension before the 2026-27 season, the Hawks are going to need to spend some money to get above the floor. And there simply aren’t many Shea Weber/Carey Price dead money deals left floating around the NHL at this point to have a player not impact the lineup but still eat cap space effectively.
The Blackhawks have other pending RFAs, including Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan and Colton Dach who could help the Blackhawks reach the floor, but I don’t see those being excessively big deals. Especially considering the bridge deal the Blackhawks gave Wyatt Kaiser (two years at a $1.7M AAV).
The third thing that has to be considered is the cost of acquisition.In free agency, the only considerations are dollars and term. How long a player will be with the Blackhawks, and how that impacts the potential trajectory of prospects who might matriculate to the NHL level and be able to take that role at some point.
If we’re talking about a trade, there are more factors in play. Not only was the money structure and term decided by someone else — not always a bad thing if the two fit the Blackhawks’ long-term plan — but the Blackhawks are going to have to part ways with either NHL roster players, prospects or draft capital to bring the player in.
Which begs the questions: Which prospects are potentially available? How do the Blackhawks view their picks in upcoming drafts and the talent available in those classes? And how would the incoming player potentially impact the ability of the Blackhawks to bring up the next wave(s) of players to the NHL?
So let’s dig into one hot name in the trade rumors right now and walk through these issues.
Steve Roberts-Imagn ImagesSteven Stamkos?
Steven Stamkos will turn 26 on Feb. 7. He’s in the second year of a four-year, $32M contract ($8M AAV) with the Nashville Predators. Entering Monday, Stamkos has five points — four goals, one assists — in 20 games to start the 2025-26 regular season.
The Nashville Predators were surprisingly terrible last year. They’ve been more of the same this year. Which is why the big ticket names in their lineup are starting to make some noise in the trade rumors.
Should the Blackhawks consider Stamkos?
Let’s go back to the things I listed as necessary considerations.
Is Stamkos actually available? That’s a maybe right now — and a probably if the season continues to be bad in Nashville. Would he be available to the Blackhawks in the same division as the Preds? Again, probably — if the Hawks are willing to pay the right price. Here’s David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period talking about Stamkos with Jeff Marek recently:
"Is Steven Stamkos much more appealing at $5M or $5.5M versus $8M? I would imagine so"@TheFourthPeriod and @JeffMarek discuss Steven Stamkos' future in Nashville and how his cap hit and the tax implications shape any potential tradePresented by @FanDuelCanada #Smashville pic.twitter.com/zO1xGyaKGY
— The Sheet with Jeff Marek (@thesheethockey) November 16, 2025Can Stamkos help the Blackhawks’ cap situation? Yes. With two more years at $8M per, that’s a good hit from a Blackhawks’ perspective. And the Preds might not have to retain anything in a deal with the Blackhawks, which they might prefer. We’ll get to that in a moment…
What would the cost of acquisition be? That’s the hard one. There are going to be bidders if Stamkos hits the market. And, frankly, Nashville should be okay retaining money if it improves the assets they bring back in a deal. Should the Blackhawks get into a bidding war with the Canadiens or other potential title contenders for 2+ years of Stamkos? I’m not totally sure… because…
Is Stamkos a fit in Chicago? I’m not sold that Stamkos, at this stage of his career, would be a good fit with the Blackhawks. Yes, he’s a former No. 1 overall pick and future Hall of Famer. Yes, he’s been an elite scorer in the league. At this point, Stamkos is more of a winger than a full-time center. And I’m not confident that where he’s at in his career would make joining a team as young and fast as the Blackhawks is a good fit for Stamkos.
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