Stan Bowman Doesn't Expect Blackhawks To Be Active At Trade Deadline
(CBS) The group the Blackhawks will make their Stanley Cup run with is pretty much set.
Chicago general manager Stan Bowman believes it's unlikely the Blackhawks will make any significant moves prior to the trade deadline on March 2, ESPN.com's Scott Powers reported, for several main reasons. For one, Chicago is nearly already at the salary cap.
And for two, Bowman likes what he has in his current group, which is 30-15-2 and tied for third in the Western Conference with 62 points.
"I would never rule things out, but I don't know if we're going to be a really active player," Bowman said, according to ESPN.com. "In the game today with the salary cap, we're essentially right at the cap now. So if you're going to be adding players, unless you're trading players away, I'm not sure we're in that spot.
"Sometimes you have a guy or two who is underperforming or whose contract you're trying to get rid of, but we don't really have anyone like that. We like our guys. They're all contributing. Certainly they have slumps and they play well and struggle at times but, in general, it's not like we have to get rid of this guy. If you were to trade one of those, you create one hole to fill another."
The recent call-up of young forward Teuvo Teravainen has added another dynamic and more potential for the Blackhawks, and forward Kris Versteeg is expected to return from a hand injury in February.
Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk could also be healthy in another month or two after undergoing surgery for a left patella fracture in November.