Blackhawks acquire forward Antoine Vermette from Coyotes
With less than two days until the NHL trade deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks have acquired forward Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes, the Blackhawks announced Saturday night.
In return, the Blackhawks gave up a first-round pick in the upcoming NHL draft and defenseman prospect KlasDahlbeck.
It’s no surprise that the Blackhawks made a play for a top-six forward after losing leading scorer Patrick Kane to a broken clavicle earlier this week. Kane is expected to be out 12 weeks.
The trade came after the Coyotes' 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Vermette didn’t know what team he was going to be dealt to, but knew Saturday's game was likely his last as a Coyote, according to a postgame conversation with Nicholas Goss of NESN.
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“I don’t know what I am thinking, it’s obviously a strange position, and it’s not a fun one, it’s not the way you see it, you know, as a group here,” Vermette said. “It’s not the position you want to be [in], it’s a little strange.”
Vermette played the past four years with the Coyotes and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The 11th-year pro had 13 goals, 22 assists and a plus/minus of -22 in 62 games this season entering Saturday. Vermette has also played for the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets in his career.
Dahlbeck made his NHL debut in December and has scored one goal in four games, spending the majority of the year with the Rockford Icehogs, Chicago’s AHL affiliate.
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The Blackhawks are 37-21-5 this season and in third place in the Central Division. The Coyotes are 20-36-7 and in sixth place in the Pacific Division.
-- Anna Gallegos