It's no secret that the Blackhawks were going to be sellers ahead of Monday's trade deadline, but maybe not to the degree Chicago anticipated.
The Blackhawks made their first deadline deal of the day, trading Ryan Hartman and a fifth-round pick in 2018 to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward prospect Victor Ejdsell, a first-round pick in 2018 and fourth-rounder in 2018.
"It’s a good opportunity for him, going to a team with a chance to win and going as far as they did last year, I’m sure they’re excited about getting a guy like Hartsy," Joel Quenneville said. "He gives you some competitiveness, and certainly from our point of view, you wish him well and you thank him for what he did for us.
"It’s part of our business. I think it would’ve been tough for him leaving Chicago, but at the same time, he’s got to be excited about the chance where he’s going."
Hartman has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 57 games this season, and is coming off a campaign in which he scored 19 goals and totaled 31 points in his first full-time season in the NHL. He is a pending restricted free agent, and could command up to $2 million per year.
Ejdsell was reportedly on the Blackhawks' radar last summer but he ended up signing a two-year entry-level deal with the Predators. He's a 23-year-old, big-bodied forward at 6-foot-5, 214 pounds, that is a natural center but can also play wing.
He led the Swedish Allvenskan in points (57) during the 2016-17 season in 50 games with Bofors IK, and was named the league's MVP. He also had four goals and three assists in 10 playoff games.
NHL
Ejdsell continued his development in the Swedish Hockey League, where he has 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in 44 games with HV71 this season.
The Blackhawks also traded Tommy Wingels to the Boston Bruins for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2019. It becomes a fourth-rounder if the Bruins advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs or if Wingels re-signs.
The Blackhawks have eight draft picks in 2018: two first-rounders, two third-rounders and each in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.
Monday night, Hartman tweeted his reaction to the trade: