Teravainen a painful cap casualty for Blackhawks
Whether it's the cost of doing business or the product of salary cap mismanagement, the Chicago Blackhawks have a history of shedding talented players in recent years.
Wednesday's trade that sent forwards Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes for two draft picks was just the latest in a long line of moves influenced by the Blackhawks' frequent proximity to the cap ceiling.
Some recent #Blackhawks cap casualties:
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) June 15, 2016
Byfuglien
Campbell
Brouwer
Ladd
Bolland
Frolik
Leddy
Saad
Sharp
Oduya
Teravainen
(to be continued)
The Blackhawks have been forced into these moves because general manager Stan Bowman has built perennially competitive teams, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
Chicago faced another cap crunch heading into the 2016 offseason after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Blues, and that meant another move was coming.
Bowman signed Bickell to a four-year, $16-million extension after the 2013 championship, but the winger's game deteriorated, forcing the Blackhawks to bury his contract and look for a trade partner, which they'd been seeking since last summer.
Ridding themselves of Bickell's $4-million cap hit meant also parting with Teravainen, the promising but raw 21-year-old forward, who Chicago selected 18th overall in 2012. Teravainen posted 13 goals and 22 assists this season in his first full campaign with the Blackhawks.
That Bryan Bickell contract was a reward for winger's postseason performances, but boy did it prove costly. #Blackhawks
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) June 15, 2016
Two other players impacted the deal from the Blackhawks' perspective. Calder Trophy finalist and breakout star Artemi Panarin is due to hit restricted free agency after next season, and Andrew Shaw will be an RFA if he's not signed by July 1.
Chicago now has about $10 million in cap space heading into the summer frenzy, with players like Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann set to become UFAs.
The Bickell-Teravainen trade wasn't shocking when you consider the Blackhawks' history, but it could be regrettable if Teravainen develops into a consistently productive offensive player for the Hurricanes.
Giving up one of the franchise's best prospects in years because of the Bickell contract - and to facilitate the return of Shaw - could be a painful pill to swallow in the Windy City.