The Chicago Blackhawks have been identified as a team that could be interested in Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner.
Shayna Goldman of The Athletic listed the Blackhawks as one of eight franchises that “could or should” explore trading for the Maple Leafs superstar if he becomes available.
“Chicago has the cap space to extend Marner to a high number on his next contract,” Goldman wrote. “But should it be in the market for a player like that just yet?”
Of course, that’s the main question the Blackhawks should ask themselves. There is no doubt Chicago has the cap room to complete a trade for Marner and to extend his expiring deal. An entirely different matter, however, is how Marner’s career and the timeline for Blackhawks contention align (or not).
For what it’s worth, Chicago will enter the offseason with $32.9 million of cap space but only 15 players under contract.
Chicago Blackhawks’ Potential Interest in Marner
Despite finishing with the second-worst record in the NHL last season, the Blackhawks have a promising future led by 2023 No. 1 pick Connor Bedard.
That said, Chicago’s brass must ask themselves whether they are ready to add a player like Marner at this rebuilding stage.
Completely out of context, no franchise would say no to acquiring a player of Marner’s talent (nearly a 100-point scorer), but things change when considering timelines.
Acquiring Marner could significantly impact the progression of the team and instantly improve the results on the ice, but from that to getting over the hump and making deep postseason runs there is a sizable gap.
Goldman put the Blackhawks in a similar position to the Anaheim Ducks in his column. Writing about the latter, she wondered whether or not it’s time to go for this type of transaction. She then said Chicago faces “similar questions” to Anaheim.
“Anaheim shows a promising future, but is that enough?” Goldman wrote. “And on the flip side, are they ready to add a difference-maker like Marner right now, or would that be too premature?”