Enjoy
Chicago in need of trading partner
February, 8, 2012
Feb 8
9:34
AM ET
Rob Grabowski/US PresswireChicago GM Stan Bowman says he's not looking for a replacement for Corey Crawford.
In previous seasons,
Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman would have loved to make a splash at the trade deadline but couldn't. The Blackhawks just didn't have the salary cap space. This year is different. They have loads of cap space and assets, but Bowman has run into another problem. Teams aren't ready to deal.
"There's a lot of guys looking for players and not a lot willing to part with players," he said during a Tuesday phone conversation. "I don't know if it's going to change a ton the next couple weeks."
Unlike previous seasons, there aren't many defined sellers on the market. And even those that appear to be out of the playoff race aren't eager to dismantle their team. The
Carolina Hurricanes re-signed defenseman
Tim Gleason, who would have been a nice fit in Chicago. Carolina GM Jim Rutherford plans on meeting with
Tuomo Ruutu this week to talk about a contract extension. Ruutu's not a necessity in Chicago, but he'd also be a nice fit.
The
Tampa Bay Lightning aren't ready to sell. Neither are the
New York Islanders.
Garth Snow even said he's looking to add if the price is right. He backed it up by signing
Frans Nielsen to a four-year contract extension on Tuesday that
Katie Strang reports is worth $11 million. The Islanders are also in negotiations on a deal that would keep
P.A. Parenteau in New York beyond this season.
"Our mindset isn't a seller's mindset," Snow said during an MSG interview.
Bowman certainly doesn't blame his colleagues for the strategy. It's also making his decision to add center
Brendan Morrison early on in the trade deadline cycle a pretty smart one. There just aren't many other centers on the market.
"Teams that are out of it are looking more towards the future," Bowman said. "If that's the case, there's nothing you can do. Those teams are looking at the summer and going, 'You know what? Why are we going to trade him away?'"
What the Blackhawks did last year near the deadline: Acquired defenseman
Chris Campoli and a conditional 2012 seventh-round pick from the
Ottawa Senators for forward
Ryan Potulny and a 2011 second-round pick. Acquired forward
Michael Frolik and goalie
Alexander Salak from the
Florida Panthers for forwards
Jack Skille,
Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan.
Where they are as a franchise right now: Bowman has retooled the Blackhawks into a Stanley Cup contender again, even if they don't necessarily look the part during their current West Coast trip. They lost again last night, this time to the
Colorado Avalanche.
"You try not to overreact too much," Bowman said to the ups and downs of the regular season.
Despite the struggles, Chicago remains very much in the playoff mix, sitting in the No. 6 spot at 65 points. The biggest question mark moving forward will be which of Chicago's two goalies --
Ray Emery or
Corey Crawford -- seizes the starting job. Bowman said the Blackhawks are not in the market for a goalie.
"No. I always tell people Corey is a young guy and you don't lose your talent in a matter of a few months. He was great the first six weeks of the year and then struggled a bit," Bowman said. "He came in last year and played really well. It wasn't a fluke. He played 35 games in a row, the playoffs, pressure situations and he was dynamite. It's one of those things guys go through. We'll work with him."
Rival NHL executive's scouting report on Bowman: "He's a guy who is still a newer GM, so I haven't dealt with him all that much. Early on, I found him to be cautious."
What they need: The addition of Morrison eases the pressure to add a forward, although if the right center hit the market, Chicago will certainly be in the conversation.
"You can never have too many centers," Bowman said. "If another one came along, we can certainly move someone to the wing."
The focus will be on defense. The Blackhawks would love to add a shutdown defenseman who can come in and boost a penalty kill that has dropped to No. 27 in the league at 78.3 percent. A defenseman like the
Montreal Canadiens'
Hal Gill, who has been great in the playoffs in the past, would give the Blackhawks a nice boost defensively and ease some of the pressure on a younger guy like
Nick Leddy. If that kind of player isn't available, the Blackhawks are open to adding a versatile puck-mover on defense. They've made their internal wish list, but the market may dictate whether or not it needs refining.
"No one is trading a top defenseman away. We just need someone to solidify our defense," Bowman said. "I'm happy with the way most of our guys can play. We can use one more guy, one more established player."
What they can give up: One of the byproducts of Chicago's post-Stanley Cup trading binge is that Bowman has stocked the organization with impressive young talent that can now be used to boost the Blackhawks at the deadline. In the past, Chicago has received calls on the availability of Kyle Beach, a former first-round pick who is recovering from a shoulder injury. He's expected to be back in March.
In November,
Grant Sonier ranked the Blackhawks organization No. 4 overall in terms of depth of prospects, noting the progress of
Brandon Saad and Mark McNeill. In 27 OHL games this year, Saad has 19 goals and 29 assists.
This summer,
Hockey Prospectus had the Blackhawks at No. 5 overall, mentioning standouts
Jeremy Morin and
Brandon Pirri. The Blackhawks' AHL team in Rockford is one of the youngest in the AHL, if not the youngest. Bowman is armed with cap space and talent to spare; he just needs a partner.
NHL scout breaks down Chicago's deadline strategy: "Chicago is in the same boat as a lot of the top teams. They're as good as the next top team forward-wise. Their top two lines are extremely good. They have [
Brent Seabrook] and [
Duncan Keith] and I love [
Niklas Hjalmarsson]. They need a little bit of depth on defense and their bottom six. Most of the contending teams are in that category."
