Jonathan Toews
Ok, wait, hear me out. Jonathan Toews has been the face of the Blackhawks franchise since the first Stanley Cup was brought home in 2010. So trading him is practically blasphemy. Unfortunately, Toews’ contract is nearing the final year.
There is a chance that he stays on the Blackhawks on a smaller contract, but in the meantime, why not trade him for more assets? Part of an effective rebuild is correctly managing assets. Letting Toews go to a team in need of a solid two-way forward, such as the Colorado Avalanche, is the perfect way to work a rebuild correctly.
The biggest issue is cap space as far as a trade for the Avalanche. They are starting to become strapped for cap space, so trading away Tyson Jost would benefit them. While Jost has been a valuable addition to the Avalanche, his contract is eating away at money that could be used for playoff players.
In exchange for taking Jost’s contract off the Avalanche’s hands and retaining half of Toews’ contract, the Blackhawks also get a first-round pick out of this deal. First-round picks are beneficial in rebuilding, so it is a no-brainer that the Blackhawks would be in the market for one.
Shane Bowers is a bit of a different case than most prospects discussed in these trades. Bowers has had issues finding his footing at a professional level. He has spent the last three seasons on the Colorado Eagles in the AHL.
He has never quite brought his game to the next level in those three years. So allowing him to test out a change of scenery with the Blackhawks could end up being a steal for them if it works out. The first-round pick could still pan out even if Bowers falls short of his goal. Regardless of the outcome, taking a chance on Bowers is a low-risk, high-reward move.