A team boasting one of the NHL’s brightest young stars visits the United Center on Tuesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks are kicking off a five-game road trip in Chicago that could determine the fate of their season. They are just three points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, still very much in the race to make the playoffs. But they’ve also played more games than all of the teams above them, so it’s going to take some magic to cross that finish line. With the NHL Trade Deadline fast approaching, the next handful of games likely will impact their strategy going forward: do they go for the positive experience of the playoffs for their young rising stars or be sellers to continue stockpiling for their rebuild?