Blackhawks re-acquire Saad, send Panarin, Hjalmarsson packing

​It wouldn't be the NHL off-season without Chicago general manager Stan Bowman tinkering with his lineup.

The Blackhawks on Friday swapped left-wingers with Columbus, re-acquiring Brandon Saad for Artemi Panarin.

Goaltender Anton Forsberg is also headed to Chicago with a 2018 fifth-round draft pick, while the Blue Jackets receive left-winger Tyler Motte and a sixth-rounder in this weekend's draft at the United Center in Chicago in addition to Panarin.

In a statement released by the Blackhawks, Bowman noted how Panarin, the 2015 recipient of the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, made a seamless transition to the league.

"His rookie year will always rank among the best in franchise history and his exciting style of play provided many memorable moments for our fans during his two seasons as a member of the team," said Bowman of Panarin, a native of Korkino, Russia. "Tyler [Motte] has a bright future in this league and we appreciate his contributions and hard work he put in. We wish them both success in Columbus."

2-time Cup winner

Earlier Friday, Bowman sent veteran Niklas Hjalmarsson to the Arizona Coyotes for defenceman Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dauphin.

Saad, 24, matched his career-high 53 points this past season, the six-foot-one, 202-pounder's second with the Blue Jackets after Chicago dealt the-then pending restricted free agent on June 30, 2015 for centre Artem Anisimov, among others, in a seven-player trade.

The Pittsburgh native helped the Blackhawks to Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and 2015.

Shortly after arriving in Columbus, Saad signed a six-year contract worth $36 million US that doesn't expire until 2021. The 2016 all-star has compiled 107 goals and 232 points in 368 regular-season games with the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks.

Panarin, much smaller than Saad at five-foot-11, 170 pounds, gives Columbus another 30-goal man, joining Cam Atkinson, who scored 35 goals in 2016-17.

'Dynamic offensive player'

The 25-year-old has been a consistent scorer in the NHL, having scored 30 goals in his rookie campaign and 31 last season. In 162 regular-season contests with Chicago, Panarin recorded 151 points, 17 power-play goals, 12 game-winning goals and a plus-26 rating. He also became the first rookie since Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby to post 10, three-point performances in a season.

"Artemi Panarin was the best rookie in the NHL two years ago, a second-team all-star this past season and is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the NHL," said Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen in a statement.

Motte, 22, split his rookie season in 2016-17 with the AHL's Chicago Wolves and Rockford IceHogs, combining for 14 goals and 23 assists. He also helped the United States win a bronze medal at the 2015 world junior championship.

Forsberg, whom the Blue Jackets drafted in the seventh round in 2011, has a 73-35-10 record and .923 save percentage in 126 AHL games, helping Lake Erie to a Calder Cup title in 2016.

Meanwhile, the six-foot-three, 197-pound Hjalmarsson, 30, collected 18 points in 73 games last season and topped the Blackhawks with a career-high 187 blocked shots, which ranked sixth in the NHL. The big Swede has blocked 903 shots since the 2009-10 season, fifth most in the league.

Murphy, 24, is coming off his fourth NHL season in which he tallied 17 points in 77 starts. The native of Dublin, Ohio served as captain of the United States at this year's world championship.

The 22-year-old Dauphin of Repentigny, Que., combined to play 32 games with Arizona the past two seasons

Stepan, Raanta desert-bound

Arizona general manager John Chayka made a splash before Friday's NHL draft, trading for centre Derek Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenceman Anthony DeAngelo, a 2014 first-round pick, and the Coyotes' seventh-overall pick on Friday.

Stepan, 27, is fresh off a 17-goal, 55 point season and has four seasons left on a deal that carries a $6.5 million US salary cap hit.

"Our organization has been searching for a true No. 1 centre for over a decade and we are confident that he can be that for us."

Raanta, 28, joins his third team after breaking into the NHL with Chicago during the 2013-14 campaign. The Finnish netminder has one year left on his deal with a modest $1 million cap hit.

He was 16-8-2 last season with four shutouts, a 2.26 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

"Antti is a highly skilled, athletic goaltender," Chayka said. "We're confident that he can emerge as an excellent starting goalie for us."

DeAngelo, 21, had five goals and 13 points in 39 games for Arizona last season.

In other deals Friday:

- Columbus acquired centre Jordan Schroeder from Minnesota for centre Dante Salituro. Since his NHL debut with Vancouver in 2012-13, the 26 Schroeder has 17 goals and 40 points in 144 games with the Canucks and Wild. In 292 American Hockey League games, he has 77 goals and 195 points.