Blackhawks Acquire Dead-Weight Contract to Reach Salary Floor, Send Prospect Downhill Slide to Sharks
In a move that has left fans scratching their heads, the Chicago Blackhawks have traded goaltender Laurent Brossoit and defensive prospect Nolan Allan to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the contract of Ryan Ellis. The deal, which was finalized on Thursday, adds $6.25 million to the Blackhawks' salary cap, bridging the gap between their current payroll and the minimum required by the NHL.
Ellis, who has been medically retired since 2021 due to injury, is seen as the most valuable part of the trade for the Blackhawks, providing a much-needed injection of veteran presence on their defense. The contract carries a $6.25 million salary cap hit through next season and will help the team reach the salary floor.
The Blackhawks had been struggling to find an NHL team willing to absorb Brossoit's $3.3 million cap hit without taking on the Hawks' retention slots. By trading him along with Allan, who has seen his performance trail off in recent games, the team aims to preserve their two available retention slots for potentially higher-value trades leading up to the March 6 deadline.
Allan was a first-round pick in 2021 and showed promise as a physical stay-at-home defender when he spent the first 43 games of last season in the NHL. However, his performance has declined, and other defensemen have jumped him on the Blackhawks' depth chart.
The Sharks are getting Furlong, a fifth-round pick by San Jose in 2022 who is expected to fill Allan's spot in the AHL. Scouts believe Furlong has lower upside than Allan, but he should provide similar defensive skills.
By acquiring Ellis and shedding Brossoit and Allan, the Blackhawks aim to bolster their defense and reach the salary floor with fewer young players on entry-level contracts. General manager Kyle Davidson believes in the team's young core and is confident that adding an experienced veteran will help propel them towards the playoffs.
In a move that has left fans scratching their heads, the Chicago Blackhawks have traded goaltender Laurent Brossoit and defensive prospect Nolan Allan to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the contract of Ryan Ellis. The deal, which was finalized on Thursday, adds $6.25 million to the Blackhawks' salary cap, bridging the gap between their current payroll and the minimum required by the NHL.
Ellis, who has been medically retired since 2021 due to injury, is seen as the most valuable part of the trade for the Blackhawks, providing a much-needed injection of veteran presence on their defense. The contract carries a $6.25 million salary cap hit through next season and will help the team reach the salary floor.
The Blackhawks had been struggling to find an NHL team willing to absorb Brossoit's $3.3 million cap hit without taking on the Hawks' retention slots. By trading him along with Allan, who has seen his performance trail off in recent games, the team aims to preserve their two available retention slots for potentially higher-value trades leading up to the March 6 deadline.
Allan was a first-round pick in 2021 and showed promise as a physical stay-at-home defender when he spent the first 43 games of last season in the NHL. However, his performance has declined, and other defensemen have jumped him on the Blackhawks' depth chart.
The Sharks are getting Furlong, a fifth-round pick by San Jose in 2022 who is expected to fill Allan's spot in the AHL. Scouts believe Furlong has lower upside than Allan, but he should provide similar defensive skills.
By acquiring Ellis and shedding Brossoit and Allan, the Blackhawks aim to bolster their defense and reach the salary floor with fewer young players on entry-level contracts. General manager Kyle Davidson believes in the team's young core and is confident that adding an experienced veteran will help propel them towards the playoffs.
! I know it seems like they're taking a risk by bringing in Ellis, but honestly, their D has been pretty weak lately and he's just what they need to shore things up. Plus, $6.25 million is a steal considering what they'd have had to give up if they wanted to reach the salary floor 
. I'm also loving that they're keeping the retention slots open for future trades - gotta keep an eye on those! 
. it's not like they're trading away a superstar or anything, but still...it's an interesting trade dynamic.
he's a 5th round pick and all they're getting is a veteran contract that's gonna help 'em reach the salary floor 
. I mean, I'm all for giving young guys a chance to develop, but when you've got a team with so much potential like the Blackhawks... why not use your resources to actually make some noise in the playoffs? 
And what's up with the Sharks getting stuck with this "dead-weight" contract 
... hope they can get something out of it. The only thing that makes me happy is that Ellis is finally gonna help 'em on D 
!
The trade has me scratching my head too! I mean, I get why they needed to make a move to hit their salary cap, but trading away a prospect like Allan just feels like a waste 
. It's all about finding that balance between experience and youth, right? 
The Blackhawks just got themselves a LEGEND in Ryan Ellis!!! 
He's like, the perfect vet presence on their defense... I mean, who doesn't love experience and skill? 
And that contract is like, the icing on the cake - it's gonna bridge that gap and get them over the salary floor! 
I'm so down for this move, can you imagine how much better their defense is gonna look with Ellis on board?! 
. Still, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out and if the Hawks can make some noise in the playoffs this year