Chicago Blackhawks reportedly eyeing trade for top centre to play behind Connor Bedard
The Chicago Blackhawks are looking to add a little more depth and scoring up front, and have turned their attention to a second-line center behind Connor Bedard.
Chicago Blackhawks fans, get ready, just seven games into the 2024-25 season, there's already chatter brewing. After a few years of being sellers, the Blackhawks may be changing gears and entering the buyer's market. According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta and Elliotte Friedman of "32 Thoughts," Chicago is reportedly looking at ways to add players to the lineup, focusing their attention on a top-six center, which the Calgary Flames are also said to be pursuing in their efforts.
The Blackhawks' lineup has seen Philipp Kurashev rotate as its second-line center. Though Kurashev has been successful in the circle, drawing more than 50% of his draws, line play hasn't been consistent. A recent change in the line-up had Kurashev scratched in favor of Andreas Athanasiou, and later Lukas Reichel stepped in playing the center role for one game before Kurashev returned to practice in that same position. However, Reichel is considered to be more efficient on the wing, leaving the 2C spot very much up in the air.
That's not really a surprise. Last July, the Blackhawks plunged into free agency and, at least from an external perspective, addressed every position but one: second-line center. They have hopes that young prospect Frank Nazar might fill the role after training camp, but he didn't make the cut and was soon sent to Rockford, where he is off to a great start. Still, it seems that the Blackhawks are holding out for a long-term solution to their center depth.
Interestingly, Chicago's pipeline is stuffed with potential centers like Oliver Moore, Ryan Greene, and Ilya Safonov, among others, thus giving the team some options in the future. If the Blackhawks are serious about acquiring a center in the near term, it might mean that some of those players are going to move to the wing. It becomes an interesting scenario with athletes like Athanasiou and Kurashev closing in on the ends of their current contracts and questioning their long-term futures within the team.
The other name that's being thrown about is Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras, who's been in rumors with the Blackhawks since last year. Like Nazar, Zegras presents a similar sort of playing style, but some scouts believe the latter has more offense potential, having accumulated two 23-goal seasons in the minors. The former second-rounder can make a difference on the depth team, but acquiring him might cost a lot.
As the season unfolds, it will be very interesting to see if the Blackhawks do something. That sentiment is indeed positive, that the team is making a move to add talent, but the cost and long-term effects of a trade may sculpt the future of the franchise, so this is definitely a situation worth keeping an eye on.
