Honestly, the rumor that was floated a few days ago regarding the Blackhawks having an interest in Arizona's Michael Stone struck me as odd.
Sometimes a rumor reported elsewhere is consistent with things I've heard, and I believe at one time in the last handful of years ago, the Hawks had some interest in Stone. All that said, it just struck me as one of those rumors that gets out there that might not be grounded in anything real. Maybe conjecture that sort of turned into actual "conversations" through the degradation of information being passed along, or the magical power of the internets.
I mean, Stone's a nice player. But he also makes $4 million a year and the Coyotes aren't giving him up for an Ice Hog and a box of tape.
And then there's the other issue, how do you gather assets to trade for Stone, pay him as well—and get the left wing the team sorely needs and is definitely in the market for.
OK, let it out now: just say the words "trade Seabrook," then forget about it. Because it's not happening.
OK, back to reality.
Leading up to last year's trade deadline, the Hawks were pursuing a "dual" approach—trying to acquire both a left wing and a top 4 defenseman. As things turned out, they did one and not the other. They also signed Brian Campbell and Michal Kempny in the offseason. It is fair to say that the Hawks defense, top to bottom, is deep and one of the league's best units.
So what i heard yesterday via an occasional and typically reliable source was: he'd heard the Hawks interest in Stone is more of a diversionary tactic, that their targets in Arizona are actually Luke Schenn or Kevin Connauton.
The dollars make more sense. But why either of them? In Schenn's case, the same reason why the Hawks made a hard move after Eric Gryba at the deadline a couple of years ago—they would like to add a big physical body to the back end as a playoff depth piece.
The other thing that Schenn and Connauton have in common is big point shots—something the Hawks whose point men could be called "The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight" have been lacking.
Why a "diversion?" Hard to say for sure. But Stan Bowman does like to use smoke screens. And like I said, the original rumor may have started (accurately) with the Hawks talking to Arizona about defense help and someone inaccurately surmised it was Stone.
Or maybe, possibly, the Hawks are talking about Stone as well—although the dollars, especially if the Hawks intend to upgrade LW—won't work.
And speaking of left wing, I have heard nothing specific for a couple of weeks, and what I've heard overall since the summer has been highly sporadic at best.
A couple of other names that have floated out in the blogosphere recently are Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist of Detroit. Add to theirs, the name of the one forward whose name I have consistently heard in connection to the Hawks, Tomas Vanek, also of Detroit.
I think these rumors have some legitimacy, as I have heard consistently since the early fall that Ken Holland and Stan Bowman might have a deal to make—and that they have talked—Holland needs young defensemen (something Bowman has in Kempny, Gustav Forsling, and Trevor van Riemsdyk) and has a lot of solid, complementary scorer type forwards to deal.
And think about it, were the Hawks to move van Riemsdyk or Kempny, they'd have to backfill some depth at D—where a Schenn or Connauton now makes a lot of sense.
This is also the time of year where I have to prepare Hawk fans to be realistic. Van Riemsdyk alone is not going to get you any of the three forwards mentioned above. Teams like the Hawks almost have to "overpay" at the deadline to acquire those "last piece" type assets—it's that kind of market. If Holland is prepared to move any of those three forwards, there will be multiple teams interested. And bidding.
Here's the yearly caveat: other teams aren't out there waiting to help the Hawks, by taking on their bad contracts or fringe players, giving up prospects or players with upside in return.
If i had to bet, either Kempny or more likely Forsling will be the price of upgrading LW this Spring. But, and this is just my opinion, if the Hawks are going to have a realistic shot at going deep int the playoffs, they can't do it without that port side upgrade. Gaudy regular season record or not, you must be able to score consistently on multiple lines in the playoffs. Right now, the Hawks are not that team. Add the right guy, they potentially are.
Of the three Red Wing forwards, the two that seem most realistic are Tatar, a solid, versatile and defensively sound Slovak who can score goals, and Vanek, whose game is all around the net, and thrives when playing with other offensive forwards.
Nyquist is highly skilled and checks a lot of the Hawks' typical boxes, but his salary could nix any potential deal, especially if the Hawks want/need to backfill on defense.
The other thing to consider is that the Hawks are likely talking to other teams than Arizona and Detroit. it is January 24 and the deadline is still over a month away, the pre-deadline trade market is just now taking shape.
Is it possible Bowman identifies his needs and moves early, as he did in 2009 with the Kim Jonsson/Nick Leddy for Cam Barker (wow, think about that one for a minute) deal?
Sure, but here's why I asked you to think about that. Barker was a high-demand asset at that time, 5 years earlier, he'd been the third player taken in the draft, and although he was buried as the Hawks' 6th or 7th defenseman at that time, people like Bob MacKenzie were describing him as a "top 4" defenseman in Chicago.
Hence, why I think the highest upside asset the Hawks have in terms of young defensemen, Forsling, could be in the move. Have I heard that specifically? No, I have not to this point. But that is where a a lot of circumstantial indicators point.
Because remember, it's not what the fans would like necessarily, or even just what the Hawks want—it's what other teams want in order to supply the Hawks with the asset that can really help them.
All I have for now, and I'll have recap of tonight's game with the Lightning tomorrow.
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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