NHL 2017 Rumors: Blackhawks GM Says Team Is Staying Put at the Trade Deadline
The Chicago Blackhawks have been linked to several players in the past few weeks. And that list includes former Blackhawks left winger Patrick Sharp. Now, that would be an interesting acquisition that the fans would welcome. A number of pundits believe that they have to make a move to shore up their ranks if they want to play for the Stanley Cup. However, general manager Stan Bowman seems to think that the March 1 trade deadline will come and go without the team making a deal.
In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Bowman revealed that the Blackhawks wouldn't be as active in this year's trade market.
"There's something to be said for chemistry and keeping your guys together and not having someone come in externally, swoop in and try to find a role for him. So we'll see. Things change quickly. But as we look at it today, I'm not expecting a big addition like that."
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He went on to say that he's "not expecting to make a deal this year, unlike previous years." Well, that's an interesting statement. Last year, the Blackhawks were one of the most active teams in the trade market. They gave up Marko Dano and a first-round draft pick to acquire winger Andrew Ladd from the Winnipeg Jets. They also traded Phillip Danault and a second-round draft pick in 2018 to acquire Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann from the Montreal Canadiens. Well, those deals didn't pan out too well for the Blackhawks.
During the interview, Bowman admitted that they need to address the left wing problem, but he did not elaborate on the matter. There's no doubt that center Jonathan Toews needs all the help he can get on his left side.
Instead of bringing in players like they did in previous years, Bowman noted that they plan to improve from within.
''I've said this from the beginning of the year, and I mean it: We have a different dynamic this year because we have a lot more young players that have been with our team this year from the beginning.''
Of course, the Blackhawks can still make a move before the trade deadline, but it appears that they are trying to be cautious this time around.
