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3 players Blackhawks must trade in 2025 NHL offseason

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Michael Whitaker | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 9:10 AM ET

The Chicago Blackhawks once again came nowhere close to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the recently completed 2024-25 NHL Season, finishing with a 25-46-11 record and landing the third overall selection in the NHL Draft Lottery.

The Blackhawks utilized the third overall selection on Swedish forward Anton Frondell, who has the potential to eventually make the club and start making an impact at some point in the future; he’ll be playing the upcoming 2025-26 season in Sweden.

But for now, there are players on the Chicago roster who don’t fit into the long-term plans on the franchise when they are ready to begin realistically competing again. The good news for Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson is that there is still over $22 million worth of cap space at his disposal to utilize, so they aren’t facing the immediate need to dump salary to become compliant.

That doesn’t mean that their books won’t benefit from parting ways with a current players at some point down the road. Which players on the current Blackhawks roster would be the most ideal trade candidate for Davidson to consider this offseason?

Blackhawks trade candidate No. 1: Defenseman Connor Murphy

While Murphy is a reliable right-handed defenseman, he’s also about to enter the final season of his current contract and is looked at as one of the top trade chips that Chicago has on their current roster.

While he does have a 10-team no-trade list attached to his current contract with a reasonable $4.4 million cap hit, Murphy has played the last eight seasons of his career with the franchise and would likely welcome a move to a team expected to play beyond Game No. 82 of the regular season.

Chicago was rumored to be shopping Murphy in a trade this season, and given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent, Davidson could ultimately look to deal him to a club looking to add insurance to their blue line and get assets back in return rather than lose him for nothing next offseason.

In 68 games played with Chicago in 2024-25, Murphy scored twice while adding 17 assists. He also averaged just over 20 minutes of ice time per game along with a -2 rating.

Blackhawks trade candidate No. 2: Forward Tyler Bertuzzi

Chicago Blackhawks left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) controls the puck in the third period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

The scrappy forward was brought to the Windy City last offseason with a four-year contract and a $5.5 million cap hit. It was the longest contract at the NHL level that Bertuzzi has signed and gave him the security that he was seeking.

It did take time for Bertuzzi to adjust to his new surroundings in Chicago, but he eventually finished the season with 23 goals and 23 assists. But Bertuzzi was listed as a potential candidate to have the rest of his contract bought out by Blackhawks management during the season, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.

“Tyler Bertuzzi has been a significant disappointment this season, the first of a four-year contract that makes him the highest-paid player on the team (not counting, uh, Shea Weber),” Lazerus wrote via The Athletic. “Bertuzzi would carry a $3.7 million cap hit next season, $2.9 million the following year, $2.52 million in 2027-28, then $1.22 million over the next three years.”

It’s likely going to take several more seasons before the Blackhawks can realistically expect to start competing for a postseason spot (or postseason success, for that matter). Bertuzzi, whose playing style is far more suited for playoff hockey, would be better suited with a team that has already all but officially punched their ticket to the postseason before it even begins.

Additionally, a trade of Bertuzzi would save the Blackhawks money rather than having to have the remaining 2/3 of his contract spread out in payments over the next several seasons.

Blackhawks trade candidate No. 3: Forward Lukas Reichel

Another player on the Blackhawks roster set to enter the final season of his contract is Lukas Reichel, who has already been drawing reported interest from around the NHL before he’s able to become a restricted free agent next offseason.

Signed to a modest cap hit of $1.2 million, Reichel managed eight goals with 14 assists in 70 games played in the 2024-25 NHL season, though his average ice time dropped to barely above 12 minutes per game, a career-low. He’ll be playing for Team Germany in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympic Games in February, and

He would be the ideal candidate that could see a boost in his numbers with a fresh change of scenery, and could also provide a contending team with some secondary scoring. Given his affordable salary cap hit, he wouldn’t be difficult for Richardson to move.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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