Sharks trade Furlong, Ellis to Blackhawks for Brossoit and Nolan Allan

"The San Jose Sharks made an interesting trade today, potentially clearing the way for a larger deal in the near future. The team moved two defensemen, Jake Furlong and Ryan Ellis, along with a 2028 fourth-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan and a 2028 seventh-round pick. (Small brag because I suggested a Furlong trade last week.) The picks are so far in the future, they're inconsequential at this point for either team, so we'll focus on the players."

"The only way this seems to make sense for the Blackhawks is that the team is trying to get some salary back. After a hot start to the season, Chicago has cooled off considerably. The Central Division is a tough, tough place to play. Chicago is in fifth place in the Central, 15 points behind the third place Minnesota Wild. It's also in fifth place in the Western Conference wild card race, though it's only three points back of the Los Angeles Kings."

"So it seems Chicago might be positioning itself to sell, and if that's the case, it needs to stay above the cap floor. Taking on a salary like Ryan Ellis' $6.25 million certainly helps in that regard. Chicago is only about $12 million above the cap floor after acquiring Ellis' contract. The team will need his contract this season and next season, especially if it plans to be sellers at the trade deadline."

San Jose traded defensemen Jake Furlong and Ryan Ellis plus a 2028 fourth-round pick to Chicago for goaltender Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan and a 2028 seventh-round pick. The late-round picks are currently inconsequential, so the transaction centers on players and contracts. Chicago appears to be acquiring salary flexibility by taking on Ryan Ellis' $6.25 million cap hit to help remain above the league's cap floor while positioning itself to be sellers at the deadline. Jake Furlong is a younger AHL defenseman with one year left on an $841,666 contract, representing a like-for-like organizational swap.

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