It seems like the NHL trade market isn’t slowing down too much just yet. The Blackhawks made a splash on Monday, acquiring Calvin de Haan and prospect Aleksi Saarela from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a pair of prospects in Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling.
Calvin de Haan hasn’t slowed down too much just yet. At first, acquiring him makes some sense. Although de Haan has slowed down from his time spent on Long Island, the 28-year-old defensemen had a decent season in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He posted decent possession numbers and chipped in a goal and 13 assists, making for 14 points registered in a total of 74 games played. de Haan is a bit of a gamble. He’s under contract for $4.55 million for three years, that’ll take him to age 31.
There’s one problem that sticks out though. de Haan suffered a devastating eye injury, one that apparently left him blind for two days. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but we haven’t seen him play in the aftermath of that.
He isn’t even expected to start the 2019-20 season, meaning the Blackhawks will have to do for a bit without their newest acquisition. Still, de Haan is a good defender and the Blackhawks could use him after this season.
For the Blackhawks, Aleksi Saarela is promising. Saarela is a 23-year-old prospect who plays at centre as well as the left wing. Saarela had a great season this year with 30 goals scored and 24 assists, making for 54 points registered in a total of 69 games played in the AHL.
His 15 points in 17 games helped the Charlotte Checkers win the Calder Cup. He’s been trusted enough to even appear in the playoffs for Carolina this season (one game). Saarela is currently entering the final year of his entry-level contract after which he will be listed as a restricted free agent by Chicago. Saarela is a pretty interesting prospect for a Blackhawks team who has a young core rising up.
The Hurricanes get a bit more help with their goaltending situation with Anton Forsberg. Forsberg had a great season in the NHL two years ago, posting a .908 SV% after having been recalled by the Blackhawks. Not bad.
This season, he split the net with Colin Delia in the AHL where he posted a .919 SV% though a total of 32 games played. I’m not saying Forsberg is the answer for Carolina, not even close, but it helps them at a position where they’re not outstanding with at this time. Forsberg is a restricted free agent, so the Hurricanes hold his rights and will probably sign the 26-year-old.
Gustav Forsling is a 23-year-old defensemen. He’s split the last three seasons between the Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. Forsling is a pretty good young player to have.
He probably won’t play much hockey in the NHL next season with the Canes holding one of the deepest blue-lines in the league. Still, he’s a good depth addition. Forsling has suffered injuries throughout his time in the NHL, but it’ll be interesting to see how he does now.
His specialty is offence, but he’s struggled to put the points up compared to his expectations with 27 points in 122 games total in the NHL. Still, he has quite some potential in him and for someone who’s been in the NHL for so long, he’s young. He’s currently a restricted free agent, but the Canes will probably give him a deal.
This trade helps give Chicago the opportunity to try reaching the playoffs with their aging Dynasty core once again. The addition of de Haan strengthens a blue line that was lacking this season and was one of many things that went wrong for Chicago last season. I find it a bit odd that the Blackhawks would take a contract like de Haan’s, but it’s pretty affordable for them. If Saarela pans out, then this trade looks like a masterpiece for Stan Bowman.
On the other hand, the Hurricanes probably could’ve gotten a better return for de Haan. Throwing in a B level prospect is a bit questionable. Forsberg is aging for someone who’s expected to be a third or fourth stringer.
This trade for them relies on a few things. 1. Do de Haan and Saarela make an impact? 2. Can Forsling pan out like they want him to? 3. What does Carolina do with that extra cap space? They just cleared out over $4 million dollars, so if they do anything with that, then this trade could completely change.
The winner of this trade is Chicago. Carolina has to have a lot going for them to make this trade respectable and Chicago basically got what they wanted and more for two depth players.