The summer of 2018 was an off-season of hope for the Chicago Blackhawks. General manager Stan Bowman had traded inactive Marian Hossa to the Arizona Coyotes, thus shedding his $5.275 million hit against the team’s salary cap. By doing so, he opened up the possibility of obtaining sorely needed defensive help, offensive depth, and a reliable backup goalie. What materialized was severely underwhelming in the form of Brandon Manning, Chris Kunitz, and Cam Ward.
Manning was who we thought he was, and was eventually shipped to Edmonton for forward Drake Caggiula.