- The Blackhawks were quiet at the trade deadline as expected. However, they weren’t involved as a third-party salary retainer, a move that caught some by surprise. GM Kyle Davidson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that while he received some inquiries from teams about playing that role, he felt the late-round picks on the table weren’t worth losing the flexibility. While those slots likely would have reset in July when free agency came around, the Blackhawks now will have the ability to retain on a pair of trades at draft time if that helps to bring in an extra asset or two.