The Chicago Blackhawks have been trying to get rid of forward Bryan Bickell’s bloated contract for the last season, as he’s only produced two assists in 25 NHL games in the last year – and spent the remainder of the year in the AHL, despite holding a $4 million cap hit.
Now, the Central Division club has finally managed to find a team willing to take the veteran – although it certainly cost them.
It was announced on Wednesday that the Blackhawks had dealt Bickell and forward prospect Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes, getting back a 2016 second-round draft pick and 2017 third-round draft pick in the process.
The deal helps both teams involved.
The Blackhawks, now that Bickell is no longer on their payroll, still sit with $60 million in cap space taken up heading into the offseason; shedding four million in room to re-sign other players helps the team gain a bit of breathing room for deals like the one they’ll need for forward Andrew Shaw (and potentially fellow forward Andrew Ladd).
The Hurricanes, on the other hand, gained another strong prospect for their system in Teravainen, who put up 13 goals and 35 points last season. While the Metropolitan Division club had to take on Bickell’s unpleasant cap hit for a year to acquire Teravainen, they have the space to do so – and with nine remaining draft picks in this year’s entry draft, Carolina didn’t have to sacrifice much in the way of their future for the deal to come to fruition, either.
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