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There's good news to report in Blackhawk Nation today. But not enough really to answer questions that, as the draft and free agency approach, need to be answered in order for the Hawks to make significant moves.

The first bit of good news is that Marian Hossa is making progress, albeit slowly. His target is to report ready for training camp, but he has also committed that he will not play until he is 100%. And with a concussion, no one can predict in June if he will be 100% on October 1.

Although I have not specifically heard this, it would seem there will come a point where Hossa will need to tell the Hawks: "look, I'm going to do everything humanly possible to be back—I just can't say when for sure." Or that he is indeed going to retire. And I don't think he's committed to either emphatically yet.

If Hossa decides in say, November, to hang them up, it's too late (this season) for the Hawks to do anything with his cap dollars, beyond an in-season trade. At the same time, for previously mentioned reasons, they can't force a decision on June 30.

Second, without going into further detail, I heard again this morning that if the Hawks want to (or can) be players for Ryan Suter, they will have as good a shot as any team, maybe better, with the possible exception of the Preds.

But here's the catch on Suter: to sign him, the Hawks have to clear salary before July 1, not just letting Johnny Oduya go to free agency, but also trading at least one other significant salary, like, say, Dave Bolland or Niklas Hjalmarsson.

It's a gamble. Bolland is one of only three legitimate centers signed for next season, the other two being Jonathan Toews and Marcus Kruger. If you deal Hjalmarsson and miss on Suter, you need a couple of solid backup plans to add a couple of quality defensemen.

Third, I have heard nothing further on Patrick Kane trade rumors. That isn't to say that nothing will happen there. But it has quieted down quite a bit over the last 72 hours. Stay tuned.

Interestingly, if Kane can be traded for a top 6, natural center (or more), it does solve a serious issue this team is facing. But that comes back to Hossa and his health. If Hossa is not progressing enough to say he will definitely be back, then Kane's value as a right wing is almost impossible to replace.

The question that has to be asked, with the uncertainty over Hossa's return (when or if), is how much can or will the Hawks do in pre-draft deals and in free agency?

There are a lot of variables.

It would be nice if this conversation was taking place next year at this time, when Mark McNeill, Philip Danault, Stephen Johns and Adam Clendening (the Hawks' best center and defense prospects) will have another year of development under their belts and could potentially be spotted in to the lineup to fill some of these voids. Unfortunately, that is likely way too much to ask this year.

At wing, the situation is maybe not as bad. Andrew Shaw, Victor Stalberg, Marcus Kruger (a C who can play W) and perhaps Brandon Saad, could maybe partially fill the void caused by the subtraction of either Kane or Hossa. All of these players progressed significantly this year and all of them still have upside.

Bear in mind, Joel Quenneville is going to lean more toward experience—and probably even more so in this, his make or break year.

Shaw, to my mind, is a guy who can be a top 6 right wing next year, bringing many of the qualities lost when Troy Brouwer was sent to Washington, plus an undeniable flair for big plays at big moments.

The point is, the Hawks have a little more flexibility at W than they do the other skating positions.
And NHL wings along with prospects are two areas where the Hawks are deep in tradeable assets. Trades, as opposed to free agency, are an area where the Hawks can largely control their destiny.

They can fill some of their holes prior to free agency. And maybe create some cap room.

Looking at the available free agent crop, let's assume for a moment the Hawks pass or miss out on Suter. There are still a number of quality free agent defensemen the Hawks could add.

However, the center position is much thinner in free agency.

My feeling is the Hawks should be looking to address their second line center need through a trade prior to the draft, with some combination of Niklas Hjalmarsson, and/or Victor Stalberg, and/or Michal Frolik, and/or perhaps a top prospect.

This obviously fills a huge team top 6 hole, but it also might create a little more cap room, especially if you move Hjalmarsson, possibly Frolik and let Johnny Oduya leave.

But then you need to have a list on July 1, with Suter's name at the top, followed by Plan B options like Bryan Allen, Brad Stuart, Bryce Salvador, etc. And you might need to also add a Scott Hannan or Mark Eaton type guy secondarily.

That is a way the Hawks can fill 1-2 team needs, a 2nd line center and perhaps an ability/experience/size upgrade on defense, keeping Patrick Kane and letting Marian Hossa get well.

But when you add the uncertainty over the new CBA in, the questions facing the Hawks seem to outnumber the discernible answers.

The Hawks will need some guts and flexibility within a well-considered plan, in order to do the dance they'll need to in order to improve the team this summer.

If not, it could be another year of patchwork and more prospect tryouts.

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