The Chicago Blackhawks are deep in the throes of a rebuild. Over the last three drafts, they’ve secured the first, second and third overall picks from 2022-2025. If the current roster is any indication, this will remain another tanking year for Chicago.
With that said, however, the Blackhawks are on the hunt for young talent. Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see Jonatan Berggren of the Detroit Red Wings find his way to the Windy City.
Blackhawks acquire:
- Jonatan Berggren
Red Wings acquire:
- Lukas Reichel
Berggren, 25, is in a similar situation to Reichel. Both forwards have shown flashes of their true potential, but neither have had the opportunity to consistently prove themselves. This trade gives Reichel and Berggren fresh starts to see what they can do at the NHL level.
Additionally, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period mentioned a market for Reichel. “Teams have been calling about Reichel and the Blackhawks have been listening”, Pagnotta said. “Chicago is looking to package assets for immediate upgrades.”
What Berggren Brings to Chicago’s Offense
Berggren, selected 33rd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, is a solid Swedish forward with an eye for the puck. Like Reichel, he’s never scored above the 30-point mark. Having said that, Berggren comes to Chicago with more NHL experience and better defense. In 75 games last season, Berggren put together 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points.
His career highs came just a few seasons back, with 15 goals, 13 assists and 28 points in 67 games for the Red Wings. His lack of production isn’t due to a lack of talent, however. Detroit’s depth at right wing keeps him stapled to the bottom-six behind Lucas Raymond and former Blackhawk Patrick Kane.
Moving Berggren to Chicago gives him an opportunity to battle with Andre Burakovsky for the second line right wing spot. This move also reunites former teammate Tyler Bertuzzi with Berggren, giving them both a chance to redevelop chemistry.
Blackhawks Taking Slow Approach to Offsesaon
General manager Kyle Davidson has chosen a slow, deliberate strategy with the 2024-25 offseason.
“We’re heading into a new stage where we’re starting to see and we’re leaving open spots in the NHL for some of these young players that we have drafted and have developed to enter the NHL. They’ll start making up a larger or large, depending on the point of the year, portion of the roster,” Davidson said at his development camp press conference.
“We still have a veteran-laden roster, but there’s going to be a much larger contingent of young players that could be here for a very long time, breaking camp with us this year. That’s really exciting,” Davidson added. “I think that’s a display of progress on where we’ve been in the past. It’s a different look for this team and I think it’s an eye to where we’re headed. It’s just an exciting step we’ve taken that we haven’t necessarily been able to reasonably expect prior to this season.”
Adding Berggren to the roster is a best of both worlds approach. It gives the Blackhawks a fringe veteran and a young, low-risk player on an affordable cap hit. If he pans out, the Blackhawks can extend him or trade him to a contender for some solid draft capital. If he doesn’t, he only has one year left on his deal.
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