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Final battle for Hawks' roster spots

It's crunchtime for those Blackhawks on the roster bubble.

Only three exhibition games remain for players to make the kind of impression that will find them in Dallas for next week's season opener.

With 31 players still in camp, eight must go, assuming general manager Stan Bowman decides to start the year with the maximum 23.

Here's a position-by-position look as how the competition is shaking out.

Goalie:The battle to be Corey Crawford's backup between veteran Ray Emery and rookie Alexander Salak remains too close to call.Emery gets to play the full game Friday against Pittsburgh, while Salak might be done with his audition, getting his full game Sunday at Detroit.With Emery in camp on a tryout, the Hawks need to make a decision on him by Saturday.Salak has a two-year, one-way contract, which means he gets his $612,000 salary whether he plays in Chicago or Rockford. Bowman said neither player's contract status would influence the decision regarding who stays.Crawford gets full games Wednesday night against Detroit and Sunday at Washington.Defense:There are nine left in camp counting Dylan Olsen, who has impressed coach Joel Quenneville, but the former No. 1 draft pick will start the season in Rockford.The big question is, will Bowman and Quenneville keep eight defensemen? That would mean John Scott makes the team. Stay tuned.The seven locks to start the season are Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Steve Montador, Nick Leddy, Sean O'Donnell and Sami Lepisto.Center:Jonathan Toews is the No. 1 guy and Dave Bolland the third-line checking specialist.After that, anything goes, and it will be up to Quenneville to sort things out.Patrick Sharp remains the logical choice to center the second line, but now Patrick Kane will get a look there this week.Marcus Kruger hasn't had a great camp, so this is a huge week for him.Jamal Mayers, Michael Frolik and Ben Smith also can play center. It's a big week for Smith as well with his spot not yet secured. Mayers could be the fourth-line center when the dust settles.Rookie Brandon Pirri remains in camp after impressing everyone with his skill, but he might be another year away from earning an NHL job.Wingers:These guys are locks: Kane and Mayers, assuming they are not at center, Marian Hossa, Andrew Brunette, Frolik and Carcillo.These guys are close to being locks: Bryan Bickell, Rostislav Olesz and Viktor Stalberg, although Bickell and Olesz haven't shown much on a regular basis.Quenneville said this about Bickell on Tuesday. #8220;He needs to get going.#8221;There could be only one job open at wing, two maybe, if the Hawks don't keep eight defensemen.Olesz has played well at times, but there aren't a lot of options with him, considering he has a cap hit of $3.1 million. He is not tradable because of that number for three more years, and it's unlikely the Hawks want to pay him that much to play in the minors, but it is a possibility.Smith is close to being a cinch to make the team, but he needs a good finishing kick.Jeremy Morin, Rob Klinkhammer, Philippe Paradis and Brandon Saad still are in camp, but Morin, Klinkhammer and Paradis are destined for Rockford. Morin still hasn't been cleared to play in a game because of the concussion he suffered last January.The 18-year-old Saad, one of the biggest stories of training camp, is still here in the final week.Saad could start the season with the Hawks, who then must decide what to do with him before he plays 10 games. The only options are to stay here or go back to his junior team in Saginaw.tsassone@dailyherald.com