Trade confirmed: Chicago Blackhawks - New York Islanders

Trade Details
Chicago Blackhawks Acquire: Josh Bailey · $5,000,000$5,000,000$3,500,000 2026 2nd round pick (NYI) Sum: $5,000,000$5,000,000$3,500,000 Change: +$5,000,000 Change: +$5,000,000 Change: +$3,500,000	New York Islanders Acquire: Future Considerations Sum: $0$0$0 Change: -$5,000,000 Change: -$5,000,000 Change: -$3,500,000

That's about what I'd pay to dump Josh Bailey.

Fair deal.

Chicago has been terrible at pricing their cap space holy.

Islanders win

Crazy that the Islanders only had to pay a 2nd to dump 5 Million in cap space

Really hoped SJ would do this.

CHI are ballin like a mother****ing pro

NYI wins since the usual cost is a 1st for $5M and it's a 2026 pick (!!!). But the market in the last 2 weeks has been all over the place....

Really hoped MTL would do this to get back in this year's draft. Now do it with Mantha!

Pretty much expected value based on LA's Petersen cap dump and he was 2 x $5m. Still don't think the cap dump market is as valuable as people originally thought. Johansen and Hayes basically cost no assets to move and the OEL buyout took some pressure of VAN

1x$5M feels like it's worth a 2nd, so fair deal; maybe a hair towards the Isles because they get to kick the pick a few years down the road. Understand why the Hawks would take that chance though, because that's a pick that has a lot of variance on it if Ilya Sorokin decides he's not extending (please don't do that Ilya.)

The move purely to get above the cap floor, not because we expect him to return to his pre 2022 form

Blackhawks W imo.

That's great.
You didn't get enough for your cap space

We still have 22M in cap space, we can afford to take slightly less on

Its less than that when the pick is 3 years in the future, picks lose a bit of luster

I'm waiting on the trade to send 8 2nd rounders til 2031 from Dubas. If the dinosaur Lou can move future picks 3 years from now. Lets get k..k..crazy, computer boy!

That's great.

You didn't get enough for your cap space

This is an easy Blackhawks win. Not all cap dumps are equal, as the player you absorb and actual salary paid are a real consideration.

Chicago has a legitimate need for NHL veteran's to insulate their picks and prospects, and chances are Chicago would have to pay a bit of a premium in free agency to sign those players. Maybe they could have gotten a better player on a 1 year $3.5M (Bailey's real dollar cost next season) contract in free agency, but I can't imagine they would be much better off, so a 2nd round pick to jump the line and absorb some dead cap for a year is an easy deal to justify.

Paying a 2nd to remove a $5M contract isn't necessarily awful, but it's not ideal, and it really feels like a steep price to pay given the fact that Bailey is still a decent 3rd line winger (Maybe better if last year was more of a down year than pure decline), only has a year left, and is making considerably less than his cap hit.

Sens fans: They're freeing up cap space for Debrincat

All 31 GMS: nobody wants Debt

Good trade for Chicago because he's only got one year left on his contract, he only costs them $3.5M of real money but they get $5M cap hit if they're trying to get to the minimum, and he's probably still good enough to play in their middle 6. Probably a good trade for New York too because a mid 2nd-round pick is on the low end of what you would normally pay for a 1x$5M cap dump (though it's too far in the future to predict if it'll be mid), and they clear 100% of his cap hit (unlike Johansen and Hayes), so it doubles their available cap space, though we'll have to see what they do with that space.

That said, I'm not sure collecting veterans in their declining years to play around Bedard is a good strategy. They need some more young talent on that team.

Both teams are getting what they need out of this trade. Islanders get more cap room and Chicago gets a nice draft pick along with a veteran forward that could help with prospect development

They’re about to explode with young talent next season (24-25) with Nazar, Korchinski, and maybe Oliver Moore. On top of having Bedard and Reichel.

The goal isn’t to put good veterans around Bedard. The goal is to get a top 6 and top 4 core of all roughly the same age and grow them together to keep a window open for 8-10 years.

and only 1 year of that veteran at that. Also I feel like theres value in having a veteran thats played in a solid defensive system to compliment young offensive players

I agree. That's why I said they need more young talent rather than collecting old guys. If the other young guys they have in the system aren't ready yet, then I guess the veterans are a cheap stopgap. I just hope they don't hold Bedard back because they can't keep up with him.

Our comments aged like milk lol

And just like that he's getting bought out. Makes sense as the Hawks were going to have too many forwards plus a very buyout friendly contract which makes the 2nd look even better.

Now that surprises me. I thought Chicago could actually use him. I guess they're not worried about getting to the cap hit minimum. I don't think this changes the trade though.