"Poor Bedard, Davidson only takes Ls"; "This league is dying": NHL fans perplexed by Dimitry Kuzmin's trade to Chicago in exchange for Isaak Phillips 

The struggling Chicago Blackhawks pulled off a trade on Wednesday, acquiring Dmitry Kuzmin from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Isaak Phillips.

Phillips, who was selected with the No. 141 pick in the 2020 NHL draft by the Blackhawks, has played in just three games this season with Chicago.

Kuzmin has played in 21 games for Winnipeg's American Hockey League affiliate Manitoba Moose and scored a goal with three assists.

However, fans expressed their thoughts and confusion on social media when the trade was announced:

"Horrendous trade by Davidson. I don’t think he’s won one trade. What an imbecile," opined @scotth987.

"This is awful. I hope Isaak gets an actual chance in Winnipeg. He deserves it," added @vfcentericepod.

"Whatever Dmitry did to deserve this, it must have been real bad. He’s about to hit NHL rock bottom," said @FanNugget6895.

"Wonder if Phillips asked for the trade knowing that he's falling down the Hawks depth chart," added @g67tamura.

"Why can’t we trade Brodie? Phillips is light years better than Brodie," wondered @RandallDeCours1.

"When is Seth Jones getting traded?" said @HockeyByDaBay.

With the NHL Trade Deadline falling on March 7, the Blackhawks could be on the verge of additional moves.

Chicago Blackhawks are the NHL's worst team

The Blackhawks' front office and General Manager Luke Richardson were active in free agency, signing players like Tyler Bertuzzi, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith while re-acquiring former 2015 Stanley Cup champion Teuvo Teravainen.

But despite surrounding 2023 No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard with more talent during the offseason, the Blackhawks have failed to translate that added talent into wins on the ice.

Theirs is the worst record in the NHL, and they once again appear destined to land a high draft selection. They currently sit rock bottom in the Central Division standings with a 14-28-2 record and 30 points on the board.

Things have gone so far off course for the Blackhawks that they decided to fire coach Luke Richardson and promote Anders Sorenson of the American Hockey League affiliate Rockford Ice Hogs as his replacement.

Despite not being realistically expected to challenge for a postseason spot, the prevailing thought in Chicago was that the multiple free-agency acquisitions would help shift the club's culture back in the right direction.

Bedard has openly expressed his frustration with Chicago's constant losing, and on more than one occasion has been seen slamming his stick down in anger.

The Blackhawks take on the Nashville Predators next at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night.