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I heard from a couple of sources late yesterday.
First, I would not expect a Niklas Hjalmarsson trade today, but that possibility is not off the table. The Hawks will make an attempt to land Ryan Suter on Sunday. If they succeed, Hjalmarsson will likely be dealt in short order.
That said, where until yesterday I felt the odds of the Hawks' geographical argument for Suter gave them perhaps as much as even odds to land him, I now believe the Hawks chances are somewhat diminished. The geography (and endorsement opportunities) sell is still there, and there's no reason to think that matters less to Suter. But . . . the Hawks will likely not win on money. So we'll see.
What is interesting is that the conventional wisdom that Suter was just simply going to Detroit doesn't seem to have the same momentum it used to, evidenced by some comments made by Mike Babcock in the last couple of days.
As for the later breaking story of the Hawks talking to the Devils about Corey Crawford, first reported here yesterday, I have heard nothing further about it. But the wrinkle of Martin Brodeur now seeking full free agency seems to add some weight to that rumor.
What I originally heard night before last is that the Devils were hoping to land Crawford as the backup to Brodeur for one year, before advancing him to number one status. That, as fellow Montrealers, and Brodeur being Crawford's idol, the older netminder would be the perfect tutor to get Crawford back to his stellar rookie form.
But perhaps, the actual story could be closer to the Devils looking for an immediate "replacement" for Brodeur.
Here's another potential twist to that story.
Another rumor coming from multiple sources yesterday is that Hawk President John McDonough is in "Big Splash" mode. Meaning, the ever-marketing conscious McDonough knows excitement for his team is sagging after two one-round and out seasons, and with a recent uptick in competitiveness for the Bulls and Bears. The last time McDonough decided to make a splash, he committed roughly $14 million in cap space per year to Cristobal Huet and Brian Campbell. Well, at least one of those worked out pretty well.
While there's a strong argument for stacking the deck with Suter on the blueline, in truth, the larger, more immediate needs for the Hawks are at second line center and . . . goalie.
If you are further connecting the Brodeur to Chicago dots, consider this: the man Brodeur hired as his agent, Pat Brisson, represents two current Hawks, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
I have heard and generally agree with the theory that Scotty Bowman believes in inexpensive goalies. Well, aside from the fact that Dominik Hasek, as I recall, was pretty well paid in Detroit. But bringing in a legend like Brodeur, who still has some tread left on the tire and is pretty clearly an upgrade over Crawford—with the team president looking for something splashy—could be, at the very least, the default move should the team strike out on Suter.
All for now, will report more as I have it. Tune in to HawksBuzz with JJ (and Al and Wiz) tomorrow at 4 Eastern and 3 Central.
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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