The Lightning are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. 2020 was a phenomenal year for them before the COVID-19 pause and then they were very good again in the bubble. They defeated the Dallas Stars to capture their first Cup since 2004. Now, they are looking to repeat which is very difficult but they are good enough. They sit atop the Central with a 15-4-1 record and should have a really nice seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It would look really good for the Hawks if they were able to snag some points. Nobody is expecting them to go 3-0-0 against them but they need to play well. If they somehow were as bad as they were against them early this season, their playoff hopes might be in doubt. There is still going to be a lot of hockey left but this is a big measuring stick.

What is it that makes the Tampa Bay Lightning so good? Well, it starts in their goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy currently has three straight shutouts which is a crazy stat by NHL standards. It is difficult to get one let alone three in a row. The Hawks are going to need bodies in front, deflections, and hard work in order to beat him when he is in the net.

The Bolts are also elite when it comes to defending. It starts and ends with Victor Hedman who might be the best defenseman in the NHL. The rest of the crew behind him isn’t too shabby either so the Hawks must make it hard on them. If they are successful, it should also make things hard on their forwards who are capable of burning you in every way. Guys like Steven Stamkos, Braden Point, and Ondrej Palat are very dangerous and amongst the league’s best.

The good news is that these games are at the United Center. The first two games against them were at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. Playing at home should serve them well. They are 6-3-1 at the UC this year so hopefully, that trend continues. It may sound like a cliche at times but this is the most important stretch of the season for them up to this point and it isn’t close.

If they (Kane and Eichel) were on the same team, you would have to think they play on different lines at five on five. Alex DeBrincat and Dominik Kubalik are both wings you dish out evenly. When Jonathan Toews and/or Kirby Dach come back, Eichel would help them form a monster down the middle that is unmatched. You can throw Kane on either Dach or Toews’ line and they would cook.

As mentioned before, this isn’t something that you should expect. Despite having a good season so far, the Hawks are closer to being a bad team than a championship team. They also probably don’t have the necessary assets that would be needed to acquire Eichel. Kane is from Buffalo but there is no shot the Hawks would be willing to trade him there for Eichel at this time (right or wrong).

One of the aforementioned DeBrincat or Kubalik might need to be included. Kirby Dach’s name might be in play if a trade of this magnitude happened and they might need to include one of their young stud defensemen. Picks and prospects might be needed too. This is an elite player that Buffalo isn’t just going to give away. They may trade him but a package that huge (from any team) will be needed. With all of that said, he sure would look good out there in a Blackhawks sweater skating as nicely as he does.

As you can see, Jack Eichel has the ability to shoot that puck from long-range or tough angles to score goals for himself. He also has the clear ability to create for others around him. In his career playing for the horrible Buffalo Sabres team (longest playoff drought in the NHL), he has 139 goals and 213 assists for 352 points in 372 games.

In 2020, the Sabres are as bad as they have ever been and Eichel still has a 55.8 CorsiFor meaning his team dominates shots on goal at even strength when he is on the ice. This is the type of player that any NHL team should be calling about every day to see if the rumors about his potential trade are true. If the Blackhawks ever pulled off a miracle like this they would be a true playoff contender again.