UTAH MOVES WEBER CONTRACT TO CHICAGO

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired defenseman Victor Soderstrom, winger Aku Raty and defensemen Shea Weber from the Utah Hockey Club for a sixth-round draft pick in 2026.

What does it give the Chicago Blackhawks
This is an interesting deal. Soderstrom is an unsigned restricted free agent from last summer who is currently enjoying success in the SHL in Sweden. Can the Blackhawks sign him? Stay tuned! Raty is an AHLer with modest upside, while Weber is retired. His contract was added for salary-cap purposes. Soderstrom alone may be worth a gamble.

What does it give the Utah Hockey Club
Utah decided to move Weber's LTIR contract to give them more flexibility down the road. Soderstrom was at odds with the organization from a contractual standpoint, so they did a lot of housekeeping with one move. Raty was not a big prospect, so the Utah Hockey Club did well to get a sixth-rounder here.

Fantasy impact
Soderstrom might still have a future in the NHL, but there are also a lot of young Chicago blueline prospects to leapfrog over, and that is IF he decides to sign with the Blackhawks. He is a high-risk/high-reward fantasy defenseman. Raty, on the other hand, is a player with negligible fantasy value.