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I heard from a source close to the matter this afternoon that the Hawks are still holding trade talks with the Montreal Canadiens. And the talks have covered not just Patrick Sharp, but Bryan Bickell and Kris Versteeg as well.
This doesn't mean that all three would be traded to the Habs, but rather, the Habs and Hawks have discussed the individual players in separate deals or possibly 2 of them in combination.
One Montreal player the Hawks have expressed interest in is Greg Pateryn, a big, stay at home defenseman with a right handed shot. Think a young Michal Rozsival_with a $575,000 cap hit.
SAAD CONTRACT
In other news, from the same source, the Blackhawks are trying to work out a 4-5 year contract with Brandon Saad. Saad's agent is looking for a high AAV 2-3 year "bridge deal." The tone of negotiations don't sound adversarial and are ongoing.
All for now,
JJ