The Chicago Blackhawks have re-acquired forward Brandon Saad in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, parting with top young forward Artemi Panarin to complete the blockbuster deal.
The 24-year-old Saad spent his first four seasons with Chicago, helping the Blackhawks win two Stanley Cups. Concerned about their ability to re-sign Saad when he became a restricted free agent in 2015, the Blackhawks traded the rugged winger to the Blue Jackets.
He had 24 goals and 29 assists in 82 games for Columbus last season.
The Blackhawks also received goaltender Anton Forsberg and a 2018 fifth-round draft pick in Friday's trade in exchange for forwards Panarin and Tyler Motte and Chicago's sixth-round selection on Saturday.
The loss of Panarin is a big blow for Chicago. He teamed with Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov to form one of the NHL's most potent lines the past couple seasons.
The Arizona Coyotes have acquired defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 30-year-old Hjalmarsson had spent his entire 10-year career with Chicago, helping the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles. He had five goals, 13 assists and a team-high 181 blocked shots in 73 games last season.
The Blackhawks received defenseman Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dauphin in Friday's trade. The 24-year-old Murphy had two goals and a career-high 15 assists in 77 games with Arizona last season. Dauphin, 22, has appeared in 32 NHL games over the last two seasons.
The trade comes with Arizona in a bit of turmoil. The team announced Thursday on the eve of the NHL draft that coach Dave Tippett was out after eight seasons.
>>Blues Acquire C Schenn
The St. Louis Blues acquired center Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers in completing two trades during the first round of the NHL draft Friday night.
In exchange for the three-time 20-goal-scorer, the Flyers got the Blues' first-round pick this year, a conditional first-round pick in next year's draft and third-year forward Jori Lehtera.
The Blues weren't done dealing. They traded back into the first round by acquiring the No. 31 pick from the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. St. Louis also acquired rookie forward Oskar Sundqvist.
The Penguins added toughness by acquiring seven-year veteran forward Ryan Reaves and the Blues' second-round pick, 51st overall.
In Schenn, the Blues add a playmaker who had 25 goals and 30 assists for 55 points in 79 games last season. Overall, he has 109 goals and 246 points in 424 games over eight NHL seasons.
Schenn does carry a hefty contract, which represents a $5.125 million cap hit in each of the next three seasons.
The Flyers used the Blues' pick, 27th overall, to select center Morgan Frost. Lehtera was selected in the third round of the 2008 draft. He had seven goals and 22 points in 64 games last year.
>>Oshie Re-Ups With Caps
So much for T.J. Oshie heading to the Chicago Blackhawks as a replacement for the jettisoned Artemi Panarin.
The Washington Capitals have re-signed their 30-year-old right wing to an eight-year contract that will pay him $46 million, preventing No. 77 from testing the open market.
Left unprotected in the NHL's recent Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft as a pending free agent, Oshie tallied a career-best 33 goals in 2016-17, totaling at least 51 points for the fifth time in six seasons. Now, with an annual salary cap hit of $5.75 million under his new deal, the former St. Louis Blues forward is set to remain in Washington until he's 38.
Oshie had more than a solid year at age 30 and he's a proven contributor up front for a team that might or might not be looking to shift from dependence on Alex Ovechkin as it looks to snap an all-too-familiar streak of early playoff exits.
