Blackhawks Have Made Two Trades: Get to Know The Newest Members of The Chicago Blackhawks

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Jared
February 24, 2023 (1:41 PM)

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The Blackhawks have made two trades so far ahead of the March 3rd trade deadline. Wednesday night saw the Blackhawks take on the contract of defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, a 2023 2nd round pick, and a 2024 4th round pick from the Senators in exchange for future considerations.

On Thursday, the Blackhawks traded forward Josiah Slavin to the Ducks in exchange for Hunter Drew.

This season, Nikita Zaitsev has skated in 28 games for the Senators and has tallied 5 assists in those contests as well as posting a +/- -5. Zaitsev was being scratched a fair amount in Ottawa, but receiving draft compensation and having another defenseman to rotate in is big for the Blackhawks rookie development. Zaitsev has skated in 426 games in his career between Toronto and Ottawa.

Zaitsev's role with Chicago this season is yet to be determined. He is having some immigration issues, which is keeping him from immediately joining the Blackhawks. There are rumors of bigger trades including Jake McCabe on the horizon, so Zaitsev may be able to slide in and eat some minutes without having to throw any rookies into the fire.

Hunter Drew is a 23 year old defenseman with only 2 games in the NHL under his belt. Drew has skated in 44 games for the Ducks AHL affiliate this season and has tallied 11 points in that span. Drew is also a +/- -14 in that span. Drew will most likely be waiting in Rockford while the trade deadline plays out on the main roster. Drew may see some NHL action after the deadline. Drew was having the worst season of his career defensively, but with this move is a low risk high reward type for Davidson and the Blackhawks.