Panthers trade Connolly, Stillman, Borgstrom to Blackhawks

The Florida Panthers traded forwards Brett Connolly and Henrik Borgstrom, defenseman Riley Stillman, and a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Lucas Wallmark and blue-liner Lucas Carlsson, the Blackhawks announced.

Connolly, 28, has produced just two goals and two assists in 21 games this season. He's signed through 2022-23 with a cap hit of $3.5 million per season, per CapFriendly, which now gives Florida additional space ahead of the deadline.

The 6-foot-3 winger averaged 20 goals per season over the last four campaigns, but his scoring touch has dried up this year. The 2010 sixth overall pick won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 before inking a four-year deal with Florida as a free agent in 2019.

Headlining Chicago's reward for taking on Connolly's contract is Borgstrom, the 23rd overall pick in 2016. The 6-foot-3 center has registered 19 points in 58 career NHL games. He's spent the entire 2020-21 campaign overseas in Finland's top professional league, where he's recorded 11 goals and eight assists in 27 tilts for HIFK Helsinki.

The 23-year-old Stillman has produced five career assists. The 2016 fourth-round pick is the son of longtime NHLer Cory Stillman.

Wallmark, 25, has served as a fourth-line center for most of his career. He produced three assists in 16 games with the Blackhawks in that role this season. The Swede spent a seven-game stint with the Panthers last season after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Vincent Trocheck trade.

Carlsson, 23, has split his 2020-21 campaign between the NHL and AHL. He's produced one assist in 12 games at the NHL level. Like Stillman, he was also a fourth-round pick in 2016.