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The Chicago Blackhawks are having a really nice summer in terms of their on-ice improvement. They have made some big trades that have people believing that they can at least compete for the playoffs in 2021-22. They are not a lock by any means but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. At the very minimum, they will be a lot more fun to watch than they were in the previous three seasons.
The conversation starts and ends with the trade for Seth Jones. He is now thier best defenseman and you can argue he is their second-best skater behind Patrick Kane. He wasn’t at his best in 2020-21 but the Columbus Blue Jackets were lousy all around. Jones has proven that he can be one of the very best defensemen in the world.
The other big addition is Marc-Andre Fleury. He is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in the NHL and has a lot of hockey left in him. There was worry that he would retire if the Vegas Golden Knights traded him but it sounds like he is going to give this a shot. If he plays the way that he always has, the Blackhawks are set in goal.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a few more trades that they can make before 2021-22.
There are other moves that have been made but they have mostly all be with the idea of adding to the team for right now. Well, there is room to make some more trades that help them now but there is also room to make a trade that helps them in the future. There are a few players to consider trading before the season starts and these are the three to look at the most:
