The Chicago Blackhawks are the talk of the town when it comes to trade rumors. This is entirely understandable, as general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson has made it abundantly clear that the Blackhawks are in a full-on rebuild. With that, franchise legends Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) and could be on the move by the deadline because of it. However, we should not forget that Chicago also has another prime rental candidate with offseason addition Max Domi.

During the offseason, I wrote a ‘Hot Takes’ piece for the Blackhawks’ 2022-23 campaign. In it, I predicted that Domi would put together his best season since his 72-point campaign in 82 games with the Montreal Canadiens in 2018-19. So far, the 27-year-old is on his way to proving my point, as he has four goals and seven points in 10 contests. Naturally, this is likely starting to raise his value a bit, so we could see the Blackhawks explore the trade market for him shortly. Let’s look at three teams that could be great fits for the feisty forward.

Toronto Maple Leafs

In a recent column for the Toronto Star, Nick Kypreos reported that Domi contacted the Maple Leafs during the offseason and was willing to sign a deal with them far below his current $3 million cap (from ‘Leafs are more than halfway through the John Tavares contract. Was it worth it?’ Toronto Star, 10/27/22). However, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas decided to pass on this, and now it’s a move that he must feel some regret over. As stated above, the 2013 first-round pick has been thriving in Chicago, while the Leafs’ new additions of Calle Jarnkrok, Zach Aston-Reese, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel haven’t produced much at all thus far.

With Domi expressing a clear interest in being a Maple Leaf, perhaps Dubas will explore this avenue again as we get closer to the deadline. The chances of this occurring could also heighten if Toronto continues to play underwhelming hockey and need a change when it comes to their middle six. Bringing in Domi would provide them with far better secondary scoring to go along with some much-needed grit. Furthermore, his ability to play both center and left wing would give Toronto plenty of options for him in their lineup, and that’s forever a major perk.

Yet, due to the Maple Leafs’ salary cap trouble, the Blackhawks would need to retain half of Domi’s salary to help facilitate a move. That is something that Davidson would likely have zero issues with, as it would only help increase their return for Domi. If he continues to stay this hot, Chicago should be able to land a second-round pick and decent prospect for him. Perhaps center prospect Nick Moldenhauer could head the other way in this move. Furthermore, for salary cap purposes, Aube-Kubel could be a player added to the deal.