Report: Jets trade captain Andrew Ladd to Blackhawks for Dano, multiple picks

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd has been traded to the Chicago Blackhawks along with depth forward Matt Fraser and  depth defender Jay Harrison for a bounty of significant future assets including a 2016 first-round pick and Marko Dano, according to a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger. 

Update:The conditional pick coming back to Winnipeg is a 2018 third-rounder, but the condition is that the Blackhawks need to win the Stanley Cup, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. 

We knew this was coming when it was reported that Ladd, the only captain in Winnipeg Jets 2.0’s history, was set to be a healthy scratch on Thursday night when the Jets face the Dallas Stars in Texas. 

The Blackhawks were a natural fit for Ladd. The familiarity is there, obviously, as Ladd was with the Blackhawks when they won their first of three Stanley Cups this decade. And with Marian Hossa on long-term injured reserve, Chicago had the salary cap space to add Ladd’s contract to the books. 

While the Blackhawks could’ve taken on Ladd’s full ticket, the usually budget conscious Jets have agreed to retain 36 percent of Ladd’s deal, according to Dreger. True North should be applauded for providing Jets management with the tools they needed to maximize the return here.

A package built around one of Chicago’s top forward prospects and a late first-round pick fits the bill of what we’d expect a high-end rental of Ladd’s calibre to cost in a trade. Dano’s development has seemed to stall somewhat this season with Chicago and the American League’s Rockford Ice Hogs, but he’s shown enormous promise and is still a high-end prospect. Getting an additional first-round selection – even if it’s likely to be in the 20s – and another conditional draft pick for Ladd is a major win for the Jets. 

That Ladd and the Jets could never find common ground on an extension is unfortunate. He was well liked, loyal and very, very good for a long time in Winnipeg’s. Ladd’s next deal is likely to prove enormously expensive though, and at least Cheveldayoff appears to have made the most of holding the most premium asset on the trade market going into the deadline.