The Chicago Blackhawks have some salary cap space and a couple areas of need but are not close to anything ..
Emily Kaplan: The Blackhawks now have some salary cap space, but it’s usually a quiet period for the next month or so. “Now most of the major moves have been made,” GM Stan Bowman said today. “Right now, nothing is really close to happening”
Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times: The Blackhawks didn’t add a lot during free agency and haven’t been able to make a big splash so far.
GM Stan Bowman did move out Marian Hossa’s contract. Bowman did say that a late-summer/early fall trade is still possible, but they may not able to immediately take advantage of the extra salary cap space they have after the Hossa trade.
The Blackhawks would like to find a left winger to play on Patrick Kane‘s line, or a defensive partner for Duncan Keith.
They won’t be trading Nick Schmaltz or Alex DeBrincat to fill either of those areas. After trading for Marcus Kruger, Artem Anisimov becomes available, but he wouldn’t be enough.
“It’s an option if we can find the right player or the right situation,” he said. “We certainly have more options than we did before. I wouldn’t say we have to do something. Having cap space is an asset in and of itself, so things will come along, maybe in the summer, maybe in the beginning part of the year.”
The Hurricanes may move defenseman Justin Faulk. Maybe the cost to acquire Jeff Skinner or Max Pacioretty decrease after the start of the season.
Update from SVP/GM Stan Bowman: Corey Crawford is back in Chicago to train for the upcoming season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/LpgTsrhPbE
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 17, 2018