The Chicago Blackhawks have made a deal with their old Original Six nemesis Friday afternoon.
The Blackhawks have acquired forward Tomas Jurco from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a third-round pick. Forward Vinnie Hinostroza was also sent down to Rockford in a corresponding move.
Welcome to Chicago, @Tomas_Jurco!
The #Blackhawks acquire forward Tomas Jurco from the Red Wings in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick! pic.twitter.com/GbPZL5IpZL
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 24, 2017
The 24-year-old right winger has played in only 16 games this season and has yet to record a point. Jurco hasn’t played for the Wings since Feb. 9. The 2011 second-round pick has scored 15 goals and tallied 39 total points in 159 games with the Red Wings.
This is certainly a low-risk, potentially high-reward deal for Chicago. Jurco has been regarded as a highly-touted prospect, but might require a change of scenery. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Blackhawks had targeted Jurco for quite a while.
“I’ve always thought he had a little bit more skill than what we have seen from him,” one scout told ESPN’s Craig Custance.
Jurco is on the final year of his two-year contract and Detroit did not retain any of his salary. CapFriendly reports Jurco has $220,000 in remaining daily cap hit. Chicago still has a little more than $2.285 million in salary cap space after the deal.
This sort of move has worked before for the Hawks. Look no further than Richard Panik, who was traded to Chicago in Jan. 2016 for the infamous Jeremy Morin. Panik has since found a role along the first line and is fifth on the team with 16 goals this season.
It’s uncertain whether the Blackhawks will attempt to make another deadline splash. They’ve gone 8-1 in the month of February and appear to be catching fire with a balanced attack spread out across all four lines. It’s uncertain where exactly Jurco will slot in once he arrives in Chicago, whose next game is Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.
