Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars Will Benefit From Patrick Sharp Trade

Patrick Sharp was just traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Dallas Stars. After what I wrote earlier, some of you may think that this trade can’t benefit the Stars in any way. That isn’t the case here as this trade could benefit both the Blackhawks and the Stars.

Before looking at how this trade helps both teams, lets look at the trade itself. The Blackhawks traded Sharp and minor-leaguer Stephen Johns to the Stars in exchange for defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Ryan Garbutt. This looks like a trade in which a team will exchange quantity for quality as Sharp has three Stanley Cup championships to his name. He also has a reputation of being a scoring winger who can contribute in the NHL, so the Stars add another big name to their roster.

In return, the Blackhawks add more depth to go for another championship next year. In Garbutt they add another depth forward that can drive play and be a suitable injury replacement. They also receive more depth in Daley which allows them to ice another complete roster going into next season. While Daley isn’t a great player, the Blackhawks can justify this acquisition because I doubt that Michal Rozsival is much better.

The last aspect of this trade to consider is how this affects the team’s cap situation. The main reason why the Blackhawks have to trade players like Sharp and Brandon Saad is because they are struggling to keep such a talented roster under the cap. With this trade, they are able to shed almost $6 million to a team that can afford it and finally fit under the salary cap. For their favor, the Stars add more offense to a team that needs it and they get rid of a replaceable defenseman in the process.

The Patrick Sharp trade is one that could go a long way to help the seasons of both teams involved in this trade.