The Blackhawks acquire a former 40-goal scorer from the Canadiens: There's a silver lining to this proposal

The Blackhawks may be interested in trading for a specific goal-scoring winger to complement Connor Bedard, such as Patrick Laine.

A recent proposal was a trade where the Blackhawks received Laine from the Montreal Canadiens for winger prospect Gavin Hayes.

Hayes used to be a high-end prospect when he was working up the ranks but has fallen off a bit not only because of recent play but also because of the new addition of prospects.

Hayes looked really prominent in the OHL with the Flint Firebirds and Soo Greyhounds after the 2023-24 season, tallying 76 points in 55 games between the two teams. He even had 16 points in 11 playoff games with the Greyhounds.

However, Hayes's stats took a fall, as he only had five goals and 15 points in 50 games, with only two points in seven games in the playoffs with the Rockford IceHogs.

Unfortunately, that's a big loss of production from switching between the OHL and the pros, the AHL. The good thing is Hayes is still young (21), and it may not be too late for him to grow a little more.

Plus, Gavin's girlfriend's dad is Kent Hughes, the GM of the Canadiens, so it'll work out if it does happen in terms of family. Even if he plays with the Laval Rocket (Canadiens AHL affiliate), it's still right down the road.

The interesting part of this trade would be Laine. Laine has had an up-and-down career since being taken second overall by the Winnipeg Jets back in 2016.

His first four seasons with the Jets were incredible, not finishing under 60 points while only playing two full seasons.

But Laine has yet to return back to that form-the closest he's gotten was last year with 33 games in 52 points while being a force on the power play, and the Blackhawks need scoring right now.

Laine is only 27, and like Hayes, isn't too far gone. He'd help on Bedard's wing if he gets some first-line minutes.

It's a lower-risk trade for both teams, and if you're a GM, you'd probably make it.