Chicago Blackhawks add another 2nd-round draft pick while trading for defenseman Nikita Zaitsev
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The Chicago Blackhawks acquired a 2023 second-round pick in exchange for taking on the $4.5 million salary-cap hit of Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev in a trade announced Wednesday.
The Hawks also will receive a 2026 fourth-round pick and will give the Senators future considerations.
Zaitsev’s contract runs through next season, and shedding him frees up space for the Senators to potentially extend the contract of former Hawks winger Alex DeBrincat, an upcoming restricted free agent.
The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Zaitsev has played only 28 games this season because of a lower-body injury and has no goals, five assists and a minus-5 rating.
“We are getting an NHL-caliber defenseman and acquiring very valuable draft capital in this upcoming draft and beyond,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “Nikita gives us added depth on the right side and we anticipate him joining us soon.”
It appears the Senators were willing to pay heavily to unload the 31-year-old Moscow native’s contract.
Among Ottawa defensemen who have logged at least 200 minutes, Zaitsev generated the team’s second-worst Corsi-for percentage (45.3%) in 5-on-5, according to Naturalstattrick.com, an indicator of how he affects possession.
The Senators have been outshot 227-179 (a team-worst 44.1% shot percentage) with Zaitsev on the ice under those same conditions.
“His game lacks detail and execution,” Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala wrote last week. “I get the feeling the Sens are going to have to spend some of their draft capital to convince a trade partner to take on his contract.”
According to CapFriendly.com, the Hawks have $13.4 million in cap space.
Davidson has said he wants to be conservative with taking on big contracts, but dropping a second-rounder on the negotiating table would get any GM’s attention, especially one engineering a long-term rebuild.
The Hawks now have five picks in the first two rounds this year and seven in the first three rounds. Here’s how it breaks down.
First round: The Hawks have their pick plus the Tampa Bay Lightning’s, acquired in last year’s Brandon Hagel trade.
Second round: The Hawks have their pick, the Senators’ and another pick from the Lightning in a trade that also netted Tyler Johnson in exchange for Brent Seabrook, a cap move for the Bolts.
Third round: The Hawks have their pick and the Dallas Stars’, which was swapped for a Hawks third-rounder last year.
