Mailbag: Blackhawks GM search, Miller's future with Canucks

Here is the Feb. 23 edition of the mailbag, where we answer your questions asked on Twitter using #OvertheBoards. NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti is pinch-hitting for senior writer Dan Rosen this week. Tweet your questions to @drosennhl.

What moves do the Chicago Blackhawks make? Do they make a lot of moves or just nibble around the edges and not really do much? What about the GM search? -- @ColBourbon
The second part of your question is essential to the first part, so let's start with that. Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement Jan. 26 that they plan to hire a general manager before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline on March 21.
Kyle Davidson, who was named GM on Oct. 27 after Stan Bowman stepped down, continues to have full autonomy while the search is being conducted and remains a candidate to keep the job. If there is a new GM, that individual will undoubtedly have a big say in the direction the Blackhawks take by the deadline. Among the candidates the Blackhawks announced they have interviewed are Davidson, Carolina Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky, former Montreal Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby, St. Louis Blues vice president of hockey operations Peter Chiarelli, Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche, and Chicago Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Calvin de Haan are potential unrestricted free agents who could be traded before the deadline regardless of who is GM. What happens beyond that will depend on if Chicago hires a GM who believes big changes are needed immediately or if the best approach is to acquire assets for players on expiring contracts and then be prepared to make more moves in the offseason heading into the 2022 NHL Draft and free agency.
If the Canucks were to trade one of Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller, or Brock Boeser, who do you think would fetch the biggest return? Also, curious as to your thoughts of what they need most. -- @LevesqueLance
Those are three very good forwards. I'd rather not trade any of them, but if one needs to be moved, I think Miller would bring the biggest return.
Although Miller, who turns 29 on March 14, is the oldest of the three (Boeser turns 25 on Friday and Horvat will be 27 on April 5), he's been the Canucks' most consistent forward the past three seasons. He leads them with 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) in 50 games this season and he's versatile, able to play center and wing.
Like Horvat, Miller has one season left on his contract after this one before he can become an unrestricted free agent, and he has a slightly lower NHL salary cap charge of $5.25 million per season than Horvat at $5.5 million. Boeser probably has the biggest long-term upside, but he's a pending restricted free agent and likely will get a raise from his cap charge of $5.875 million.
If Boeser signs a new contract, his trade value would increase because any team interested in acquiring him would have cost certainty.
Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin have much to decide. But with Vancouver (24-22-6) in jeopardy of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season, despite going 16-7-4 since Bruce Boudreau replaced Travis Green as coach Dec. 5, it might need to make some moves to reset for the future.
Aside from salary cap flexibility, which all teams value, the Canucks' biggest need is high draft picks and prospects to restock their system. Vancouver's first-round pick in the 2022 draft will be its first since 2019, but it doesn't have a second-round pick.
What does Matt Boldy have to do to get into Calder Trophy contention? Or is it too late? -- @d_sakowitz
Boldy is off to an impressive start for the Minnesota Wild, scoring 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 17 games since making his NHL debut Jan. 6. But as suggested in the question, it might be too late for the 20-year-old forward to get in position to win the Calder, which is awarded each season to the NHL rookie of the year.
Since the 1967-68 NHL expansion, Steve Vickers, who played in 61 of 78 games for the New York Rangers (78.2 percent) in 1972-73, is the lone skater to win the Calder playing less than 80 percent of his team's games. The Wild have 34 games remaining, so Boldy could play a maximum of 51 of 82 games (62.2 percent).

Although Jordan Binnington is a goalie, he's an interesting comparison for Boldy because he didn't make his first NHL start for the St. Louis Blues in 2018-19 until Jan. 7. Binnington was 24-5-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average. .927 save percentage and five shutouts in 32 regular-season games to help St. Louis go from last in the NHL to winning the Stanley Cup.
Binnington finished a distant second in Calder voting behind Canucks forward Elias Pettersson, who received 151 first-place votes to Binnington's 18. Pettersson led NHL rookies with 28 goals, 38 assists and 66 points in 71 games (86.6 percent) that season.
Holding up through the long grind of an 82-game NHL season (or most of it) isn't easy. Rookies aren't used to it and, after their initial excitement fades and they face opponents a second, third or fourth time, it can become more of a challenge. How a rookie handles that challenge can separate him from others in the Calder race. Boldy won't go through that grind to the same extent, but maybe he can distinguish himself.
Where are the New Jersey Devils as far as their rebuild? Do they need to find a better goalie? -- @matt12r
It might be difficult to see because the Devils are 17-28-5, but they have the framework in place for the rebuild to begin to pay off next season (and more pieces possibly on the way before the trade deadline). It starts with their strength at center with Jack Hughes (No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft), Nico Hischier (No. 1 in the 2017 NHL Draft) and Dawson Mercer (No. 18 in the 2020 NHL Draft), and left wing Jesper Bratt (No. 162 in the 2016 NHL Draft).
At defensemen they have Luke Hughes (No. 4 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and Jack's younger brother) to look forward to whenever decides to leave the University of Michigan. Losing Dougie Hamilton to a broken jaw Jan. 2 derailed his season, but he's expected to return against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and the position is an area that promises to be better next season with Hamilton, Ryan Graves, Jonas Siegenthaler and a possible rebound from Ty Smith.
What held the Devils back the most is the health of their goalies. After signing a two-year contract as an unrestricted free agent, Jonathan Bernier (4-4-1, 3.06 GAA, .902 save percentage, 10 games) was slowed by a nagging right hip injury that eventually required season-ending surgery Jan. 4. Mackenzie Blackwood (9-9-3, 3.29 GAA, .894 save percentage, two shutouts, 23 games) is on injured reserve for the second time because of a heel injury.
The Devils began the season 7-3-2 and allowing 2.67 goals in their first 12 games before injuries began to impact them. A healthy tandem of Blackwood and Bernier could've covered more of the growing pains throughout the season and allowed New Jersey to take a rebuilding step similar to the Detroit Red Wings (23-22-6). Whether Bernier can regain his form following hip surgery is a big question. If he can't, the Devils will need to look again for a goalie to back up Blackwood.
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