NHLTT Originals - Blackhawk Talk

There's still hope for beleagured Blackhawks fans. Stan Bowman is tirelessly working it. Trust me, nobody knows as much as he does just how badly the team is struggling. Gaining 13 points in 15 games raises a lot of red flags.

First, let's look at Chicago's assets.

Michael Frolik, Mark McNeill, Brandon Pirri, Brandon Saad, Jeremy Morin and Adam Clendening. Some of those players, particularly Saad, Pirri and Morin, may be tough to move, but if the right deal comes along, and you're trying to win the Stanley Cup, sometimes your hand is forced.

Now let's look at the teams needs.

Stan Bowman understands the Blackhawks' deficiencies. Most specifically, he is looking for a big, physical defenseman (or two) and a penalty killing forward.

I don't believe there are any legs to the rumors of the Blackhawks being in on Alex Semin or Tuomo Ruutu. Neither seems to fit well with Bowman's plans.

Bowman is, however, scouting and likely talking to both those players' clubs. The players he is more likely targeting are big defenseman John Erskine and defensive center Jeff Halpern of Washington and defenseman Bryan Allen and penalty killing winger Chad LaRose of Carolina.

See a pattern here?

Additionally, Bowman would likely be scouting Tampa Bay in search of a second line wing, Steve Downie or Martin St. Louis perhaps, defenseman Brett Clark and 4th line C/W Nate Thompson. Clark and Thompson also fit the pattern outlined above.


The other hot rumor surrounding Edmonton Oilers D Dustin Byfuglien remains just that: a hot rumor.

Most likely, Stan Bowman will lean strongly toward acquiring players with expiring contracts. Only three of the players named above have deals that go beyond 2012, and all for less than, say, what Michal Frolik makes. So the Hawks could acquire 2-3 players, and one with a deal that goes into next year, and even if Frolik goes in such a deal, the Hawks still have lower cost certainty heading into next season.

Let's look at the likely trade partner list.

1) Anaheim
2) Edmonton
3) Carolina
4) Washington
5) Tampa
6) Calgary
7) Winnipeg
8) Toronto

Bottom line, I believe Bowman is shopping for the right types of cost-controlled, cap-friendly assets, though most fans would love to hear more about Thompson or Travis Moen type players. Certainly a player like Bryan Allen would be a very nice addition to the Blackhawks' defensive corps, as would some of the others mentioned. I do believe Bowman is going to get a deal or two done here before too long despite his recent admissions to the contrary. That's how Stan Bowman works; under the radar. He no doubt has a lot of irons in the fire and despite keeping things close vested, more than likely, reinforcements will be arriving soon.

Jeff Carter, Bobby Ryan, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter Rumors

TSN.CA: Darren Dreger, responding to reader e-mail, reports he doesn’t believe the NY Rangers have interest in Jeff Carter. They like Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan a lot but it no longer appears Ryan might be available. They would also pounce if the Predators were to shop either Shea Weber or Ryan Suter, but there’s no panic in New York to make a big move right now, and they can wait until this summer to make a big splash via free agency…As for Jeff Carter, Dreger doesn’t buy the argument his big contract makes him immovable, claiming the LA Kings have moderate interest, while the Calgary Flames may take a run, though it would be difficult to fit that contract into their budget. Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke loathes mega-contracts, but Carter is the type of player Toronto’s been looking for in lots of ways.

New York Islanders In Sell Mode

ESPN.COM: Craig Custance believes the NY Islanders could be sellers by the trade deadline, but don’t have much to offer up. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and blueliners Mark Eaton and Steve Staios could be shopped. Forward P.A. Parenteau is also a UFA this summer, but the Isles would prefer to re-sign him.

Chicago Blackhawks Rumors

ESPN.COM/CHICAGO SUN-TIMES:Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman continues to search for help for his defense, but noted there’s currently nothing imminent, as there remains a number of teams still in the playoff race, meaning there’s a lot of buyers and no sellers. Blackhawks fans may have to wait up until the deadline for reinforcements. Goalies that could be available include Ryan Miller of Buffalo and Evgeni Nabokov of the New York Islanders.

Ryan Smyth Rumors

EDMONTON JOURNAL: John MacKinnon reports Oilers forward Ryan Smyth said a report out of New York claiming he’d agree to be dealt to the Rangers was news to him, adding no one has approached him about a trade. Winger Ales Hemsky said he’s like to remain with the Oilers, but admits his future seems uncertain. MacKinnon also suggested unless an offer for Sam Gagner was overwhelming, it makes no sense to trade an appreciating asset.

Bucci's Ultimate Top 100 Players

ESPN's John Buccigross, the former host of NHL 2Night, released his top-100 NHL player rankings for the 2011-12 season.

C Sidney Crosby of the Penguins was ranked No. 1 and Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews finished No. 2, and Buccigross notes that Crosby is the only player in the league he would trade for Toews -- if Crosby were 100 percent healthy.

Rounding out the top five are Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Claude Giroux.

Tim Thomas was the highest ranking goaltender. The Boston Bruins netminder was ranked No. 16.

While compiling his list, Buccigross did not consider "potential" or "ceiling" and projected drop-off was not considered either. Rather, the list is based soley upon the premise that if all players were healthy, who would be the 100 players in the league that he would want, were he an NHL GM, for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

You can get his entire list, plus a synopsis as to why each player qualified right here.

Who Will Be Traded Before The Deadline?

The Feb. 27 trade deadline is only a month away, and there’s reason to believe it could be a busy one. Plenty of contending teams (Detroit and Chicago, to name just two) have cap space, something that hasn’t always been the case at this point in the season.

Pro Hockey Talk lists a number of players that have been mentioned in trade speculation:

• RW Bobby Ryan (ANA) -- Ducks on the verge of becoming sellers.
• C Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) -- See above.
• RW Corey Perry (ANA) -- Farfetched or not, he's out there and Vancouver is heavily linked to him.
• RW Teemu Selanne (ANA) -- He's 41, so only if Selanne requests a trade to a contender.
• C Jeff Carter (COL) -- Blue Jackets may become heavy sellers soon.
• G Tim Thomas (BOS) -- Not going anywhere.
• D Ryan Suter (NSH) -- Has indicated he will test free agency and as a UFA he may be moved by the deadline.
• LW Zach Parise (NJ) -- Scoring winger would be attractive to many teams.
• RW Shane Doan (PHX) -- Money issues may force Coyotes to sell. The Blackhawks would love the big winger at the right price.
• LW Brenden Morrow (DAL) -- The Red Wings would be all over Morrow if Dallas makes him available.
• LW Paul Stastny (COL) -- Avalanche could be forced to unload Statsny and his big salary, but he'll likely only be traded if Colorado falters in the second half.
• LW Alexander Semin (WAS) -- pending unrestricted free agent has been a healthy scratch and may not be a part of Caps plans. They'd certainly move him in the right deal.
• C Derek Roy (BUF) -- listless Sabres need a lift and Montreal might be a fit for Roy.
• RW Drew Stafford (BUF) -- See above.
• D Luke Schenn (TOR) -- Supply vs. demand issues here and Toronto is looking to make a big move before the deadline.
• LW James van Riemsdyk (PHI) -- The big LW has been linked to Toronto in a package that includes Schenn.

Tuomo Ruutu, Jeff Carter, Travis Moen Rumors

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun expects the trade market to pick up significantly now that the All-Star Break has passed.

One name that could move right away is Tuomo Ruutu. Rutuu will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Hurricanes have taken lots of calls on Ruutu and he could be moved as early as this week.

Meanwhile in Columbus, GM Scott Howson is expecting he'll be a very busy man in the next four weeks. Aside from the obvious rental players (players who will be UFAs on July 1) he’ll attempt to move, keep an eye on C Jeff Carter. Howson, we’re told, is willing to move Carter less than a year after acquiring him from the Flyers, in part because the player doesn’t want to be in Columbus. But can Howson find a taker for Carter’s contract? He’s in the first season of an 11-year, $58-million contract (cap hit $5.27 million).

LeBrun also indicates that Vancouver and Detroit have more than a passing interest in Montreal Canadiens winger Travis Moen though one source at ESPN indicated that Montreal GM Pierre Gauthier is telling teams he’s not ready to sell yet. The Canadiens play eight of their next 12 games at home and the word is Gauthier wants to see if his team can make a run before pulling the plug.

Bettman Back Shootouts

According to AP Wire Reports NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is in favor of keeping shootouts. The shootout has been used to decide regular season tie games since the NHL came back from it's league enforced lockout that canceled the 2004-05 season.

Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke glowingly about the tiebreaker for regular-season games, saying "league research shows fan support of between 70% and 80%."

Bettman says he's seen a "sensational" reaction from the crowd at each shootout game he's attended over the years.

Hurricanes Extend D Tim Gleason

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed D Tim Gleason to a 4 year contract extension worth $16 million.

He’ll receive $3.5 million next year, $4.5 million the following 2 years, and $3.5 million in the last year of the deal.

Gleason has a full no-clause in the first 2 years according to TSN's Bob McKenzie [via twitter].