The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired F Andrew Shaw and a 2021 7th round pick from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2020 2nd round pick, a 2021 3rd round and a 2020 7th round pick.
The Blackhawks lack forwards, and they still do, after this trade. They now have eight forwards under contract, and Brendan Perlini is an RFA. Shaw is coming off a career high season in points. He was also drafted by the Blackhawks (5th round) in 2011. He played his first five seasons with the Blackhawks. He has three more years left at $3.9 million a season. This trade puts them at around $8 million in cap space, so it likely takes them out of the hunt for a big free agent like Anders Lee, who they were reportedly interested in. A second and a third is a little bit of a big ask, but Shaw does have three years left coming off a career season.
Shaw, soon to be 28, scored 19 goals with 28 assists for 47 points in 63 games for the Canadiens this year. In his NHL career for the Canadiens and Blackhawks, Shaw has scored 111 goals with 122 assists for 233 points in 504 games.
The Canadiens are looking to shed salary so they can go after a big name free agent like Matt Duchene or Lee. After this year and the trade of Nicolas Deslauriers, the Canadiens have about $13.5 million in cap space. They get really good value for Shaw. Shaw shouldn\’t net you a second and a third, but after scoring nearly 50 points in nearly 60 games, his value was up.
CarterHud 