Four players the Blackhawks either traded or let walk they wish they never had

Here are four examples of players that the Blackhawks let go, but on other teams around the league, they're flourishing.

The first one is Brandon Hagel. Hagel is 23 years old and was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2022 for two first round picks and a couple prospects.

Since the trade, Hagel has had two 20+ goal seasons in a row, as well as having 30 in 2023, and 26 in 2024. Hagel has 26 points in 20 games currently.

Sure, the Blackhawks got some good value back for him, and this was the first major trade Kyle Davidson made in his tenure, but you look at how Connor Bedard is struggling right now and can't help but think what a Bedard-Hagel connection would look like.

Secondly, we have Dylan Strome. Dylan Strome was a solid center here in Chicago, but was always misused under the Bowman/Colliton agenda. Strome is 27 years old and the Hawks let him walk in 2022, the first free agency for Davidson.

By then, Davidson had committed to a full on five-year rebuild, so him being 24 didn't necessarily line up with his timeline. But coming off a 48-point season when he only played 69 games left a sour taste in fans' mouths, and now that he is a star in Washington with 29 points in 23 games, it hurts even more.

Three-fourths of the way through, Artemi Panarin. Panarin was traded by Bowman back on draft day in 2017 for Brandon Saad and pennies when Artemi was bound to be a star. Unfortunately, it all comes down to Chicago just not willing to pay him.

This trade will continue to haunt them forever, as when he was a 24-year-old, Panarin had 74 points in a fully-played season. Now, he's nearing 1,000 points in his career.

Last but not least, Nick Schmaltz. People may have forgotten about Schmaltz, but he started his career off in Chicago and was here for three years and had his highest point-tallying season in 2018.

Schmaltz then went to the Arizona Coyotes at the time, and is still there today for the Utah Hockey Club. Schmaltz has 15 assists so far this year, but oddly enough, he hasn't scored a goal yet.

Credit: The Hockey News