Blackhawks trade targets should include Peterka & Rakell – hockey writer – Chicago Blackhawks

This is the 2025 NHL Draft Week (June 27), and as usual, the Chicago Blackhawks are a team worth watching. Because they have a lot of capital drafts (15 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts). They have 10 draft picks in the 2025 draft alone.

They are smart choices, some of these assets, and it seems that General Manager Kyle Davidson is exploring this.

They have two names in the trade market: JJ Peterka and Rickard Rakell.

JJ Peterka

Let’s start with JJ Peterka, because he is one of the hottest names in the trade market and, on the surface, looks like a perfect Black Hawk target.

The 23-year-old Buffalo Saber has limited the free agent forward and scored a 68-point breakthrough year in 77 games. He scored 50 points the year before, so he kept improving. And, it’s hard to ignore struggling teams like Saber in this production.

It is reported that the saber has not think To be separated from Peterka, but they are listening. However, this could be even more serious, as insider Elliotte Friedman reports Peterka is upset in Buffalo and welcomes the other direction.

This is where the Blackhawks come in. Daily Confrontation It was mentioned that the Blackhawks pushed to Peterka and even touted their third pick to Buffalo, but the conversation didn’t get much attention. He noted that Buffalo wanted to help immediately, not just choose.

That’s where things get tricky. The Blackhawks don’t have many players who are willing to trade, and if so, it’s hard for them to move.

Chicago can tout Jason Dickinson’s contract with a year left, but they also need him to do the center depth. They might also consider moving Lukas Reichel or Connor Murphy. Part of the Seravalli report mentioned that Saber is looking for a right defender. But again, I’m not sure how eager they are to move to Murphy now, as he is a senior at the young defensive core.

It would be a long-term vision if Buffalo wanted more than Chicago could or would have to pay. But people like Peterka are exactly what the Hawks need to value youth sports, a young, fast, top-of-the-line six-point producer that can complement players like Connor Bedard.

Rickard Rakell

Stage 4 Chicago is reportedly a team linked to forward Rickard Rakell, revealed in their “Summer Trade Watch List 2025.”

This supposed link surprised me, and it wasn’t at the same time. First, Rakell scored 35 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 70-point season. For a team like Chicago does need a top six upgrade, I can see why they might be interested, as they only had over 30 goalkeepers (Ryan Donato) last season.

But Rakell has a trap. He is 32 years old and has $5 million blocks for the next three years, with eight untrade champions. He is one of the most well-known figures on the trade deadline, but reportedly demanding him high, including two first-round picks and the highest prospect. The pen chose to keep him because they saw him as an integral part of the team.

Josh Yohe sports Rakell is still available for trade this summer, “but he won’t be cheap.” (from the “NHL Plan I’ve heard about Penguin’s Draft Plan, Trades, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell-Athletic-06/23/2025).

Additionally, Scott Wheeler sports share x The Penguins are one of the teams to talk to the Blackhawks about the third pick. This makes me wonder if Lakel might be the conversation point there.

Related: Blackhawks 2025-26 Lineup Forecast 1.0: Pre-Original and Free Player

On the morning of June 24, the situation for the Penguin also changed, as it was revealed that the Wanderers sent them the 12th pick as part of the JT Miller trade. Now, that puts Pittsburgh at No. 11 and No. 12 in the 2025 draft. But this does not seem to change their pursuit of aggressiveness. General Manager Kyle Dubas revealed in an exit interview in April that he wanted to “return his team as eagerly as possible”.

Like Wheeler, most people think the Blackhawks will swing three. But things may change soon, and Penguin may be the trading partner of concern. Davidson and Dubas share a significant trade history, from the big trade of Jake McCabe to the Petr Mrazek trade when Dubas was with Toronto Maple Leafs.

Rakell isn’t a bad detour, especially if they can’t land Peterka, and they’ll likely be out at Mitch Marner. But with the excellent asking price, it seems they are in the same place as Peterka and Sabers. I guess it will depend on the Blackhawks want Rakell and the corresponding lineup moves as they just joined veteran Andre Burakovsky.

Even if some transactions seem unlikely, the draft is not impossible. The Blackhawks have the ability to take big actions as they see fit, and who knows where that will stay. The next few days should be fun.