The Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday traded defenseman Nolan Allan, goaltender Laurent Brossoit and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defensemen Ryan Ellis and Jake Furlong and a 2028 fourth-round pick.
Ellis, 35, amassed 275 points (76 goals, 199 assists) with the Nashville Predators (2011-2021) and Philadelphia Flyers (2021-22). The Sharks selected Furlong, 21, with the 140th pick in the 2022 draft, and he has spent his three-year career in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda, totaling 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 78 games.
With caps hits of $6,250,000 and $7,857,143, respectively, Ellis and defenseman Shea Weber, 40, are the highest-paid players under contract for the Hawks. Neither has played a game since 2021 due to injury. The Ellis acquisition may have come to help satisfy next season’s salary-cap floor, which will be $70.6 million.
While dealing Allan may have been unexpected — he was a Hawks first-round pick (No. 32) in 2022 — the 22-year-old’s trade stock had decreased in recent months. He compiled 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 109 career regular-season games with Rockford.
Brossoit, 32, signed with the Hawks on July 1, 2024, but did not suit up for the main roster due to injuries. He returned to the net with the IceHogs this year, sporting a 3-3-0 record, .901 save percentage and 3.38 goals-against average.
The Hawks also sent defenseman Ethan Del Mastro to the IceHogs.