Blackhawks Trade Alex Nylander To Pittsburgh
Kyle Davidson’s job of clearing out some of the wrong pieces in the organization continues.
On Wednesday morning the Blackhawks traded forward Alex Nylander to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Sam Lafferty.
Lafferty, 26, has two assists in 10 games for the Penguins this season. He’s listed at 6-1 and 195 pounds and is a right-handed shot. He averaged 8:43 per night and has been credited with 34 hits.
He is in the final year of his contract with a $750k AAV.
Lafferty was originally a fourth-round pick (No. 113 overall) by Pittsburgh in the 2014 NHL Draft. He played for four years at Brown University before turning pro.
The Blackhawks sent Kurtis Gabriel to Rockford earlier on Wednesday, so Lafferty may be the latest attempt at finding some functional physicality for the roster. Alec Regula was also sent to Rockford while Nicolas Beaudin was recalled to the taxi squad and Brett Connolly was added to the active roster.
Nylander, the eighth overall pick in the 2016 draft, was acquired from Buffalo for defenseman Henri Jokiharju in 2019. He scored 10 goals with 16 assists in 65 games for the Hawks in 2019-20 but missed the entire pandemic-shortened season because of knee surgery. He did not appear in an NHL game for the Blackhawks this season but had eight goals in 23 games for Rockford.
Nylander may blossom with a coaching staff that knows how to effectively use him and play him with same skilled players….time will tell…..either way, bet Nylander is happy to leave this dysfunctional organization.
Nylander will last for about a period playing for Mike Sullivan before he is banished to Scranton or some other outpost. Certain players will never evolve or make the necessary changes to their game. Much more work to be done by Almost not Interim Davidson.
The way this looks to me is they traded someone that has some potential for someone that has no potential.
The “intern” I guess is allowed to clear up a little garbage left behind from StanBo and get a little more toughness in the lineup. I’d have to rate it a “meh”. Makes the “intern” look like he’s doing something. You know your organization is in trouble when your “video analyst” is making moves and your coach says, “send him to Rockford” (Gabriel). Lafferty can’t fight but will hit somebody. I don’t get it. At least Reichel will have somebody watch his back unless that was the plan all along. I wonder what people will remember from the “Alex Nylander era”?? Who???
Tim W: I agree, Nylander will maybe be in 2 games, and you’ll never hear from him again. Garbage for garbage. I fail to see what “potential” Nylander has.
You never know what Nylander is going to do for a club ! He may just go to Europa ! ? There are guys that can play but are under achievers and I just hope he catches a break in Pittsburgh ! Pops 4
Hopefully Nylander has success in Pittsburgh, not overly sure about it.
Hopefully Lafferty can be help bottom 6, a change may help both. Wonder if he gets a shot at 4C role.
Just would’ve rather kept Nylander honestly. But random for random trade.
Hard to feel anything about this trade. As long as we continue without a real GM and Hockey ops person, and preferably both from outside the organization, we are in for a lot of these dribs and drabs so Davidson can try to prove his worth. This is an organization in decline and the Wirtz family seems content to watch it tank. Hard to feel anything about this trade or anything positive about this team. What we saw against Colorado last night is about as close as we will come to any relevancy against good teams, and as we all know we do not have the skill to sustain it. Until we reach the point again where we have six or more stars on the ice at once like we used to, like the Avs do now, we will never be able to compete. It’s going to be a long road back. Look at the team that Sakic has assembled. Pretty impressive. And Makar – holy crap that kid is special. If we do not get our front office in order, It will be a very long road back indeed.
Don’t know much about Lafferty but the fact they sent Gabriel down would indicate they hope Lafferty does a better job filling that role – maybe Khaira or Carp takes a seat to see what Lafferty brings
What we do know is that Mike Sullivan has a track record of developing below average prospects into useful players so if Nylander can’t make it in PIT he’s probably done in the NHL
Clearly the Hawks have moved past Nylander and I think I am ok with that. They made a high risk high reward play moving Joki for Nylander and it didn’t pan out. You can’t recover from that when it doesn’t work out. But, did Nylander have more value thatn Lafferty?
What concerns me about this move is that Davidson is being allowed to make decisions that can affect the team down the road. Why is a guy with an interim tag making these calls? I don’t think Nylander is going to be a top six forward in the NHL, but is it possible the Hawks could have included him in a package to bring back something of value? Nylander still has a pedigree even if it is not manifesting itself in the NHL. Nylander and Kubalik or Strome for DeBrusk maybe?
The move itself isn’t what bothers me, but rather what the move seems to hint at as to what the Hawks Brass is thinking in terms of filling the roles of GM and Head of Hockey Ops. Which is that the Hawks seem to be ok with Davidson handling GM duties and the Head of Hockey may or may not be something they will actually address in the near term.
Disappointed the Hawks never used Nylander in his best role other than the Bubble, fourth line speed / skill guy to compliment a couple of grinders. He will never be a top 6 forward, but he could fill that Stahlberg type role on the right line. My money says that is exactly how Sullivan uses him. He won’t be playing with Crosby or see time on the power play.
You could have traded Nylander for a bag of pucks and I would have been thrilled. Came to the Hawks with a rep of not caring and showed it.
Going to be tough watching Byram and Bouchard dominate blue lines in a few years when we could have had them in the draft.
I have been preaching patience with Dach due to age and injuries but that is wearing thin…needs to start showing some improvement
Hoping for a fire sale soon…have no clue why we signed McCabe, he is terrible and would be nice to unload him.
Also, can someone tell me why Borgstrom is on this team…again, does nothing
More than a little frustrated!
Looks KD will have ok to move players over the course of this season. You would think a vp of hockey with a permanent Gm on the same page for moving contracts like MAF, Dehaan, Strome and maybe Kubalik be better for possible different options for return. The biggest decisions i guess will be likely after the season when front office should be in place, on Toews, Kane futures, Dachs next deal, plus maybe trying to move T. Johnson and others. Of course the buyout, qo, draft/fa frenzy periods are huge as well.
The trade with Florida was a joke we cleared 3.5 million cap space for panthers bowman’s father must have run the hawks for 5 years when Scotty went to Florida to retire Stan showed what he knew a whole lot of nothing amen
@Ian
I’ll try posting this again…..KD, Stan’s protege is going to be the new GM
From 32 thoughts
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/32-thoughts-nhl-faces-tight-scheduling-finish-season-time/
11. When Sportsology’s Mike Forde was hired by Capitals’ owner Ted Leonsis to advise on hiring with his NBA Wizards, Forde eventually recommended promoting interim GM Tommy Sheppard to the full-time role — with support. Word is the Blackhawks really like their current interim, Kyle Davidson, so it’s not a surprise if he stays in a prominent role. What I wonder about is if Ed Olczyk ends up in a John Davidson-type role there, too.
So we get another plug from the Joki trade tree. Why does this seem like deja vu
“Yea another worthless bottom 6 forward that won’t contribute jack poop. So Davidson has made 3 trade and has got nothing back. Top student in the school of bowman school of gm for dummies.”
Dollar bill would not be surprised at all if KD stays in Gm role or if Olczyk is hired in an overseer role and as a much needed positive PR move. He would also be able to ensure that from owner to coach are all on same page too, most certainly.
I’d have rather gotten a draft pick than a retread.
Regula back to Rockford
Gabriel to the hogs also
Beaudin up on taxi squad
I`ve got this awful feeling in my gut that this trade becomes a double whammy for the hawks. The timing of this trade is interesting more than anything else. Unless I`m missing something, did this really need to be done right now. Other than Reichel ( who had been out for the past many weeks with a concussion ), Nylander had no top line skill to play with down there. He must have asked for a trade and this is all we could get for him. What harm could it have done to try him 8-10 games in the top nine again this year considering ( other than Debrincat ) we can`t score goals and to see if we can grow his value as little bit. He had 10 goals for us two years ago in this same league. Lafferty has 2 assists this year for gods sake. Surely Nylander could have had two assists in the same number of games that Lafferty has played. Nylander is only 23 . If its because they targeted Lafferty and had to send Nylander in the trade then I have even more concerns for the hawks. There was no room for KRYS in the system, I get it, but getting Gabriel for KYRS ?????. There looks to be an issue with perceived value or use of assets in our system again. Package some of these kids to get a better player if needed. Arizona did it to get Schmaltz. We got their junk so it`s a real trading strategy that should be employed by those trusted with these assets for the hawks. We have so many fourth liners on this team it`s awful. No wonder we can`t score any goals. Did anyone notice our passing in the first period last night. We couldn`t make a pass to save our lives. Our lack of skill was obvious.
This gm has to go! 2 trades he has made have resulted in goons. We can’t score. Why didn’t we call up Nylander and give him a chance. What did we have to lose, he wasn’t making much at all. What’s next Flower for Hansen tickets??
Dollar Bill: Good God I hope Friedman’s wrong on this. The article you posted said he(Sheppard) has support: That support is Rod Thorn who old Bulls fans know for sure. I can’t fathom the thought if Wirtz hires this kid….with no support!!! Right now the “intern” has only cleaned up a couple of StanBo’s messes and done some no-brainer stuff so it would “appear” he’s just getting his feet wet. Far as I know the Hawks still have the “Cap Guru” on board so maybe your right. If you thought StanBo got fleeced on trades wait until you see the guy that learned from that architect(with no scouting experience mind you). Ugh!! Thank God I seen 3 cups, doubt I’ll see another one in my lifetime.
Hawks have over $20 million wrapped up in 2 players that have 11 goals between them. Every comment here should be loved ya back in the day but what are you doing for me today?
Let’s not throw Lafferty under the bus yet at least until we see him play – there’s a reasonable chance he’s an upgrade on Khaira or Carpenter – if he is that’s a win for an AHLer – however if Nylander finds his potential in PIT then it’s probably a loss
We’ll see how it turns out but the chickens haven’t hatched yet
@Hammer Time….Like what was mentioned already, why not give Nylander another sniff before letting him go a nothingburger. His trade value couldn’t get any worse. . If KD did this trade so he could Gabriel down to the Rock to protect Reichel why didn’t he just send Gabriel down in the first place. If Lafferty plays on the 4th line w/Carp/Khjaira we then have officially the worst line in all of the NHL.
Why is it we keep trading for toughness? Didn’t Stan try that already? The kid protege is following exactly to the T the Bowman ineptness gene.
Also like you said, we’ve seen 3 Cups, I doubt I’ll see another one in my lifetime
Dollar Bill: I never liked Nylander but it wouldn’t have hurt to have called him up and see if he learned anything before making a permanent decision on him. As far as the Gabriel decision, I’m scratching my head over it too. Thought he was fine for 6 minutes a game watching out for what’s left of our skill players but to play him a couple of games and send him right down makes no sense. As far as toughness goes: Not much from StanBo: He traded for the human punching bag(Khaira) and then the “intern” gets Gabriel for a reason not determined yet I guess and yes Lafferty can lay a hit but he’s “Nick Seeler Light” IMO. There’s no rhyme or reason as to the direction of this club. I guess all we have now is memories and the “roar” we used to hear is now a “squeak”!!!
hammer
there is no rhyme or reason for this team because there is an owner who is clueless and the team does not have a respected, veteran general manager.
oh wait ….. am i talking about the hawks or bears? after 65 years as a fan of both teams i am looking for new teams to follow come september if pace and davidson have their jobs for next year.
Hawks29: I have no idea which team will win the race to get to the bottom of their respective leagues. Right now, it’s neck and neck.
I’ve never seen Lafferty play but the I read in the Hockey News a scout say that he is a nice depth forward – the fact that he couldn’t be a regular in PIT doesn’t mean he can’t be a useful 4th liner in CHI because you know the Hawks
I’m gonna wait to see him play before making an assessment
Wrap: Don’t be too disappointed when you see him.
Hammer – advice taken
Where are the days of yesteryear when we complained about Q playing Bollig regularly or me advocating Morin was going to be a good player? Those were the good old days….
It may take a solid decade for the Hawks to simply become a viable, lower tier playoff team again. Most of us will be in our respective cemeteries the next time the Hawks win the Cup. This is primarily Bowman’s doing (coach he hired and abysmal talent pool), but it starts w the ownership and something went astray w Rocky, no question. He has lost his way business wise and that’s not how her rolls. I truly hope he is well or gets well.
This is what I wrote about Nylander when I watched him play against the Texas Stars last month:
“….I think a few guys have a spot on NHL rosters if they can play in the right system and for the right coach. The two that come to mind are Beaudin and Nylander. They both have NHL abilities, but not a skill-set that the Hawks are currently seeking, or each guy is blocked by other prospects, or blocked by a current young player. Nylander, for example is so much better than the rest of the forward crew on the Icehogs, but he still is not consistent between shifts. There were shifts were he was Patrick Kane, and then there were other shifts were he looked like Citizen Kane. I think he needs to play in a system that fits his skill set and gets him to play with passion. Maybe, a trade to Toronto will be a good thing for him because his brother would kick him in the ass to get him to play with heart, passion, and consistency on every shift! He is talented – no doubt about that!…”
I think this is a good move for Nylander, and hopefully Mike Sullivan will get him to play up to his vast potential. He was not going to get that chance up here with this group. This trade reminds me of the Patrick Sharp/Stephen Johns trade tree…
Sharp/Johns for Trevor Daily
Trevor Daily for Rob Scuderi
Rob Scuderi for Christian Erhoff
(So, for Sharp and Johns our net gain was Christian Erhoff – yuck!)
Jokiharju – Alex Nylander
Nylander – Lafferty
(Our net gain for a top-4 defensemen is Sam Lafferty – again yuck!)
This is like in the movie “Multiplicity” where Michael Keaton clones himself and the clone is significantly dumber than the original. And, each subsequent clone clones himself, and the clone is significantly dumber than the original. The final product is a complete disaster.
Just like Rob Scuderi, Christian Erhoff, and Sam Lafferty are the final product – terrible!
tommy ivan
what a great post. just excellent.
Tommy pretty well sums it up, hopefully Lafferty’s impressive small sample on fos can help the Blackhawks in that regard. Being able to do that, supposedly decent pker, even if lacking elsewhere he might, i say might make this trade worth something.
The first long, extended Nylander trial with the big club didn’t really work out.
Seemed to be playing okay at Rockford, but makes you wonder if there was just a feeling that he wasn’t going to be into it enough (attitude, effort?) to keep him any longer.
With that said I’m also in the camp of if he was going to go, it would have been better to get a pick than to get a player like Lafferty.
Also, these are the kinds of players that the “Intern” will acquire! I don’t recall who said it in this thread, but Nylander should have been brought up, allowed to get some points playing with Dach and Kubalik, and then used as a sweetener in a larger trade. Just a dumb “Intern”! What gets me is that the majority of us on this board have more hockey sense than the clowns that have occupied that office. The Wirtz’ should be held criminally liable for stealing our money!
Re; Nylander for a draft pick – maybe AHLers get traded for draft picks but I don’t remember that happening
Although I agree that giving Nylander a look on the big club would have been a wise move – the Hawks could end up with egg on their face if Nylander even becomes a competent 3rd liner which under Sullivan is not out of the realm of possibility
Certainly giving him a look wouldn’t have decreased his value – they had Reese Johnson and Mike Hardman playing top 9 minutes at various times – Nylander should have gotten at least a chance
Nick Ritchie on waivers any takers.
test