On the Chicago Blackhawks …
- Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times: GM Stan Bowman likes his team, but he’ll likely look to add to it. Their bottom-six is full of rookies and jorneymen, and their blueline has two rookie and two 37-year olds.They have a just under $2 million in cap space. Do they need a No. 4 defenseman more than they need a bottom-six forward?They don’t have the cap space to add a forward like Eric Staal or Kyle Okposo, or defenseman like Dustin Byfuglien.
Bowman has been looking for a No. 4 defenseman since they realized Trevor Daley wasn’t going to be a fit. Bowman will likely be looking to add a defenseman over a forward.
On the Carolina Hurricanes …
- Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer: Eric Staal is in the last year of his deal, with a salary of $9.5 million ($8.5 million cap hit), and holds a no-trade clause. He’s said again that he wants to remain with the organization.GM Ron Francis met with Eric agent, Rick Curran, back in December, and they decided to push talks back until mid-January. Both sides have said that term or money have not been proposed.
If they are not able able to get a contract extension done by the trade deadline, Francis has to look at the big picture and try to move Staal. The Hurricanes had a 8-5-1 December and are 16-17-5 on the season.
“If we keep playing like we are, with the way our lines are set up, with the way these young kids are playing and developing, if I’m looking at it and you start unplugging holes, it’s going to make life a lot more difficult,” Eric Staal said. “I think the depth we have is the best I’ve seen in five, six years. Granted, we want a better record than what we have. But if we continue to play the way we’ve been playing the last month, we’re going to accumulate enough points to get back to right where we want to be, and all that kind of (contract) stuff will take care of itself.”