Panik For Duclair

			2018 Season				July 1st, 2018
To Arizona	POS	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Cap	Years	Cap
Richard Panik	F	26	37	6	16	$2.8 mil	1	$2.8 mil
Laurent Dauphin	F	22	0	0	0	$745k	0	RFA
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To Chicago	POS	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Cap	Years	Cap
Anthony Duclair	F	22	33	9	15	$1.2 mil	0	RFA
Adam Clendening	D	25	5	0	2	$650k	0	RFA

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Arizona Coyotes consummated a trade on Wednesday evening, sending a pair of troubled forwards in their respective lineups, both prone to healthy scratches this season, in opposite directions, as well as a couple of other minor league players to help even things out.

Both Richard Panik and Anthony Duclair were both supposed to be players leaned upon for offense by their former teams this season, as the Blackhawks were happy with Panik's 2017 season, while the Coyotes were on their last nerve with Duclair, heading into the 2018 season.  Neither really panned out and now they each get a change of scenery for the second half of the season.

The Blackhawks not only get a little bit younger, they also opened up a little bit of cap space for the remainder of this season and lots more flexibility next season, taking on a couple of free agents-to-be in the summer.

The Coyotes add a bit more of a two-way game to their lineup and they are hoping that Panik could possibly find the same touch that he had in the 2017 season, when he broke out in a big way.  The Coyotes are not short on cap space, so this deal could certainly help their overall look in their lineup, while dumping an inconsistent scorer.

By no means is this a guarantee for improvement on either side, but Tony is hoping that Panik could provide a spark to the last place in the Pacific Division team, while Wilton is hoping that Duclair finds his stride with an up-tempo Blackhawks team, which holds the last place spot in the Central Division.  The experiment in each other's lineup can't really hurt these pool teams, as both players have been underwhelming to date, so even if they are able to maintain those numbers, they haven't lost anything.

Wilton does have the most to gain here, sitting in 3rd spot, at the start of play on Sacredness night, while Tony's team is 39 points out of the money and I don't think Panik's move will be that much of a spark, but it certainly could help shrink that gap a little.