The Blackhawks finally did it. They traded Bryan Bickell, freeing cap space for the return of Andrew Shaw and perhaps the incoming of a fourth veteran defenseman, one that can help in the playoffs and allow TVR and either Kempny or Gustafsson to play on the third pairing.

Unfortunately, along with Bickell, Teuvo Teravainen was traded. The 21 year old forward looks to have a bright future in the NHL, but it will not be with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The bright side of this trade is that Bryan Bickell and his 4 million dollar contract is gone. When Stan Bowman offered Bickell this contract, it was the biggest mistake he has made as a GM. It cost the team Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, and now Teuvo Teravainen. But it will not be a contract that costs the team Andrew Shaw. It will not be a contract that costs the team Artemi Panarin. The team now has cap room, and can focus on re-signing these two forwards long term, and they were two of the very few players who showed up for the playoffs this year.

The downside of this trade is the loss of Teuvo Teravainen. In 78 games with the team this year, he had 13 goals and 22 assists. He was bumped around the lineup, never staying in one place, and so his numbers could have been negatively impacted. In the playoffs, he collected one assist this year, and last year totaled ten points, playing with Andrew Vermette and Patrick Sharp. He has the talent to be an excellent forward, if he is playing with the right players. Unfortunately with the Blackhawks, this wasn’t going to happen.

The trade allows the Blackhawks to pursue contracts with Shaw, who should be a firm part of the core from now on, and with Panarin. It also allows the team the ability to pursue a veteran defenseman, an Alex Goligoski, a Kris Russell, a Jordie Benn. This would help the team because it would allow Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson to play less minutes next playoffs, and it would give the team three solid pairings, should Kempny pan out or Gustafsson improve with a full season.

All in all, if Bowman is able to extend Shaw and Panarin, and the team finds its solution at the 4 D spot, this trade was worth the cost of Teuvo Teravainen. It doesn’t hurt that Teravainen was unable to find a role with the Blackhawks, and that the Hawks get a second round pick in return, which can be used on a goaltender in case Darling is taken in expansion or when Crawford ages out, or can be used on a forward, the next Brandon Saad, a forward with a lot of potential but needs development.