As the Blackhawks sit 31st in the NHL standings and according to Elliotte Friedman are sellers which is great news for the Maple Leafs' trade hopes.
If you were to look at the NHL standings, you'd be hard-pressed to find a team who has really suffered a collapse worse than the Chicago Blackhawks. While they were a struggling team last year, there was hope that things could turn around - especially with Patrick Kane's highly anticipated return.
Things looked alright at the start, as they had a 3-5-0 record as of Oct. 15th. That's not a terrible record, and early enough to get back on track.
But losing nine of their last ten games including a 9-2 thrashing at the hands of the Hurricanes shows things are in dire straits as the team sits 4-13-1 on the year.
Blackhawks' collapse opens the door for a Maple Leafs deal
As Chicago struggles this season, they could be looking to completely overhaul things on their roster.
Elliotte Friedman revealed on Nov. 7th's Saturday's Headlines that the Blackhawks were a team who have become sellers, and many veterans and even younger players could be on the outs:
The Blackhawks have a lot of things out there. They've been asked about some of their prospects, they've been asked about some of their guys that can play center.
The other thing is, they've got Jordan Greenway out there, they've got Teravainen who's struggled out there, the Blackhawks are definitely active in terms of trying to help their team.
If that's the case, then the Maple Leafs have the perfect opportunity to add a two-way force to their roster that gives them not only scoring help but do so while also adding top-tier defense: Teuvo Tervainen.
Teravainen, 32, has been one of the more consistent and reliable scorers in the league, averaging 16 goals and 49 points since he started as a full-time player in 2016.
He's also a great emergency face-off specialist, he can play the PP and PK, and finally gives Toronto a forward who produces at both ends with elite career possession numbers and a positive GF/60 to GA/60 rate (2.9 to 2.3).
Teravainen is a short-term solution for Toronto's long-term plans
It's also a target that makes sense for the Maple Leafs financially too. Teravainen is a pending free agent in 2027 and that means the tagging rules that restrict Toronto don't hurt them nearly as much.
He's also fairly cheap at $5.4M and that hit goes away this summer anyways. And it's not like he's going to cost a premium asset. Toronto has more than enough mid-tier prospects to package something together - like a Borya Valis and Brendan Brisson type of deal.
With Toronto struggling to get offense on the third line, Teravainen is an immediate improvement over the likes of Dakota Joshua and Colton Sissons, but also offers the defensive acumen that helps ease the burden off others like Nick Paul.
But getting him in has an effect that could lead into the bigger picture. If Teravainen helps the Maple Leafs get past the second round or even further, then that will only help convince Auston Matthews and others that Toronto is a winnable destination.
Though he has trade protection, if there's a chance to win for the forward then it's doubtful he passes up that opportunity.
That could very well come in Toronto, and with the way things are going for both teams - it could happen much sooner than later.
Should the Maple Leafs go after Teuvo Teravainen in a trade with the Blackhawks?
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