Now or Never Time?

Earlier in the week, the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes swapped former first round picks in the hope that either or both teams will get their anemic offenses going. The trade also symbolizes a need for all the participants in the trade to justify their status as first round picks.

The Coyotes will get Nick Schmaltz, who was the 20th overall pick in 2014. He had a pretty good first season in the league, scoring 21 times last year. However, he has only scored twice with nine helpers. The Blackhawks get Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome. Perlini, the 11th overall pick in 2014, scored 17 goals last year, but has been held to just two goals and four helpers this season. Strome was the third overall pick in 2015 behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, and has had trouble sticking in the NHL, as he has been back and forth between the NHL and AHL since turning pro last season. He scored three goals and three helpers prior to the trade this season.

Both teams have struggled with offense, as the Coyotes haven't gotten the bang for their buck from players such as Alex Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller while having injury issues with Anttii Raanta. The Blackhawks are having the same issues, but with more depth issues. Adding both Strome and Perlini should at least mean more chances to score, but whether or not it means anything in the grand scheme of things this year remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Schmaltz is another in the long line of changes for the Coyotes, who jettisoned Max Domi for Galchneyuk, only for Domi to already match his goal total from last year, and it's not December yet. For nothing else, the trade is a wake up call for all involved and may very well change the fortunes of the teams if any of them pan out.