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Trade: Blackhawks land Andrew Ladd, Jets stock up for future

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The Blackhawks needed a big presence following Bryan Bickell's drop and have acquired Andrew Ladd to fill the void. In return the Jets will get two prospects.

Reunited and it feels so good, at least for the Chicago Blackhawks: Andrew Ladd is returning to the team he won a 2010 Stanley Cup with.

The Blackhawks traded for Ladd on Thursday, giving up the following reported package to the Winnipeg Jets: Marko Dano, a first-round pick and also a conditional draft choice.

That specific update comes from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and other reporters.

That conditional pick could end up being a third-rounder in 2018, apparently:

TSN’s Darren Dreger indicates that the Jets retained a significant chunk of Ladd’s salary:

Update: The Blackhawks confirmed the trade, and it appears that Matt Fraser and Jay Harrison were also part of the package sent to Chicago.

Blackhawks’ perspective

Ladd is a classic rental: his $4.4 million cap hit expires after this season.

It ultimately boils down to how Joel Quenneville wants to lean, but one would guess that Ladd will slot into a line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. If so, that gives the Blackhawks two powerhouse trios, as Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane have been lighting up the league.

Ladd can snipe and is also the sort of steely, physical presence who should fit with Hossa and Toews like a glove (or give Chicago outstanding support offense if they lean toward depth).

Here’s a quick look at what Chicago is left with, cap-wise:

Jets’ side

Once it was clear that Winnipeg wasn’t going to retain Ladd, the price was reportedly a first-rounder and a prospect. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff more or less got what he wanted.

Dano is an interesting piece, looking OK in his cups of coffee at the NHL level. He’s bounced around a bit, yet he has the sort of first-round pedigree that could fit in well with the development-minded, draft-leaning Jets.