Dietz: Donato one of the Hawks’ few trade chips

Another year, another missed postseason for the Blackhawks.

So what are fans left with during the Sports Dead Zone, better known as mid-February?

Trade speculation time, of course! Sadly, instead of bombarding you with a zillion scenarios, this year is quite different as the Hawks don't have much to offer playoff teams ahead of the March 7 deadline.

There's likely only one player who might bring something in return — Ryan Donato. The 28-year-old is having a career year with 19 goals and 18 assists in 53 games. His gritty, hard-nosed style also makes him a perfect fit for the postseason.

“You can really put him anywhere,” Hawks defensemen Seth Jones told reporters last week. “He’s got the work ethic to be on the fourth line and the skill set … to be one of your top-six forwards.”

In the past, general manager Kyle Davidson likely would have just shipped off Donato — who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer — to the highest bidder. But it's not as simple now, with the Hawks hoping to ramp up momentum on their rebuild.

Winning franchises need guys like Donato, who is basically a disciplined Andrew Shaw.

Two things should be happening at this point:

• Davidson needs to gauge what GMs would give up. Two league sources believe Donato will fetch a second-round pick, with one saying it's a “100%” certainty.

If a team shocks Davidson with more than that, he should pull the trigger and hope Donato returns in free agency. Getting a GM to overpay for Donato seems unlikely, however. Remember, before this season Donato averaged 15 goals and 17 assists from 2019-2024 with Minnesota, San Jose, Seattle and the Hawks.

• Davidson needs to see what Donato wants in his next contract. If it's reasonable, I'm leaning toward an extension. Donato is currently on pace for 30 goals and 60 points, numbers that would essentially double his career bests in those categories.

I'm always wary of players having career seasons in contract years, but Donato is one of those “glue guys” who positively affect your franchise in so many ways.

“He works his tail off and he’s always going,” said rookie Frank Nazar. “Being able to see that competitive side pay off and how that works at this level is really awesome.”

For what it's worth, Donato did say he'd like to stay in Chicago.

“I want to do the right things, be a mentor for some of the younger guys,” he said. “I know how hard it is, especially when you’re not winning every night. It’s tough.

“But at the same time, we have a lot of great leaders in this room, guys that I look up to too, and there’s definitely a good group of guys in here.”

It's a difficult call for Davidson — one of the toughest he's faced as a GM and one that will help show us if he's really cut out for the job.

Solid stretch

Those paying attention on a nightly basis have noticed a much-improved Hawks squad over the past month.

There's more speed. More aggressiveness. More direct plays. Better defense. And some darn solid goaltending. It hasn't added up to a ton of victories, but the Hawks are 5-7-5 in their last 17 games — good for a not-too-putrid .441 points percentage. Three of those wins came against Colorado (33-22-2), Vegas (33-17-6) and Tampa Bay (31-20-4).

Youngsters like Frank Nazar (4 goals, 6 assists in 26 games), Landon Slaggert (2 goals in 6 games), defensemen Louis Crevier (2 goals, 19:43 ATOI last 8 games), Ethan Del Mastro and goaltender Arvid Soderblom seem to be maturing before our very eyes. (Crevier is on IR with a concussion).

These are all good signs. Now we'll see if the Hawks can keep it up when they resume play Saturday at Columbus.

John Dietz worked at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covering the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.