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Blackhawks Trade Brossoit, Allan to San Jose for Future Cap Help

Remember three days ago when we discussed the potential complications a successful first wave of the Blackhawks’ youth movement could potentially have on their finances? The Blackhawks made a trade on Thursday afternoon to start working on that issue. The Blackhawks acquired the contract of Ryan Ellis, defenseman Jake Furlong and a fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Nolan Allan, goaltender Laurent Brossoit and a 2028 seventh-round pick. trade alert🔔📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/1OUAm56khD pic.twitter.com/uFsoj6imUI— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026 Incoming Blackhawks Pieces Ellis is effectively retired. His contract carries a $6.25M cap hit thru the 2026-27 season. As we’ve talked about, the Blackhawks needed to find some help to get to the salary floor without wasting a roster spot and they effectively accomplished that (in part) with the acquisition of Ellis’ contract. Furlong, who turns 22 on March 4, is a left-handed defenseman who has appeared in 78 AHL games over the past two seasons. His contract runs thru the 2026-27 season as well. Outgoing Pieces Brossoit is the biggest name in this deal. He’s been rehabbing on Rockford, and the Blackhawks have been working to find him an opportunity in the NHL for some time. He never appeared in an NHL game for the Blackhawks. Allan, 22, was the Blackhawks’ first-round pick (No. 32 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft. He has appeared in 43 NHL games — all last season — with one goal and seven assists on the back of his hockey card. Allan is a good, stay home defenseman who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time with the blue line in Chicago becoming good and deep quickly around him. In Rockford, the Blackhawks will have Ethan Del Mastro — who was assigned back to the IceHogs earlier on Thursday — and Kevin Korchinski on the left side of the blue line. At the NHL level, the Blackhawks currently have Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser and Matt Grzelcyk.

admin January 8, 2026

Three days ago, we discussed the potential financial complications that could arise from the successful first wave of the Blackhawks’ youth movement. On Thursday afternoon, the Blackhawks took a significant step to address that issue by making a trade with the San Jose Sharks.

**Trade Details**

The Blackhawks acquired the contract of Ryan Ellis, defenseman Jake Furlong, and a fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft from the Sharks. In exchange, Chicago sent defenseman Nolan Allan, goaltender Laurent Brossoit, and a 2028 seventh-round pick to San Jose.

> Trade alert 🔔📰
> ➡︎ [https://t.co/1OUAm56khD](https://t.co/1OUAm56khD)
> pic.twitter.com/uFsoj6imUI
> — Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 8, 2026

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### Incoming Blackhawks Pieces

**Ryan Ellis**
Ellis is effectively retired but carries a $6.25 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season. As previously discussed, the Blackhawks needed to reach the NHL’s salary floor without using up a valuable roster spot. Acquiring Ellis’ contract helps them achieve that goal.

**Jake Furlong**
Furlong, who will turn 22 on March 4, is a left-handed defenseman with experience in 78 AHL games over the past two seasons. His contract also runs through the 2026-27 season, adding depth to the organization’s defensive prospects.

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### Outgoing Pieces

**Laurent Brossoit**
Brossoit is the most notable player heading out in this deal. He has spent time rehabbing in Rockford as the Blackhawks searched for an NHL opportunity for him. Despite this, he never appeared in an NHL game for Chicago.

**Nolan Allan**
Allan, 22, was the Blackhawks’ first-round pick (No. 32 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft. He played 43 NHL games last season, recording one goal and seven assists. Allan is a reliable, stay-at-home defenseman but found himself in a crowded defensive lineup as Chicago’s blue line rapidly improved.

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### Blackhawks’ Defensive Outlook

In Rockford, the Blackhawks will now have Ethan Del Mastro — who was reassigned to the IceHogs on Thursday — along with Kevin Korchinski patrolling the left side of the blue line.

At the NHL level, the Blackhawks currently feature Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, and Matt Grzelcyk on their defensive corps.

This trade underscores Chicago’s strategic balancing act: managing their salary cap while continuing to develop promising talent and maintain roster flexibility.
https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2026/01/08/blackhawks-trade-brossoit-allan-to-san-jose-for-future-cap-help/