4. Chicago Blackhawks
At number four, we have the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have $5.9 million in cap space before factoring in LTIR, according to CapFriendly. That space could be used to take on a bad contract or help take on a part of a contract in a three-way trade.
Considering the Blackhawks are rebuilding, they will be looking to do anything to add some more assets for the future. Taking on a bad contract from a team like Dallas that doesn’t have a lot of cap space could help bring in more assets like draft picks and prospects.
3. Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have a little over $13 million in projected cap space. That number actually goes up even higher when factoring in LTIR. The Ducks have an additional $7.925 million on LTIR right now, which means their current cap hit is actually over $21 million.
Anaheim is another great team that could be used to take on a bad contract for the season. However, with some young stars looking for extensions in the next few years, I do not think they would be willing to commit to a long-term contract that a team wants to trade away.