Imrem: Keeping Teravainen is best for Blackhawks

An eternal tug of priorities hovers before every trade deadline in every sport.

Should a contender compromise the future to win that particular season?

The Blackhawks balanced on that line and indications are they fell on the better side.

Prior to Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals at the United Center, the Hawks fortified for the stretch run and playoffs by adding four players in three trades.

As significant as the ones brought in was the one the Hawks didn't send away: Teuvo Teravainen.

The Hawks might have been able to do even better in the trade market if inclined to surrender the Teravainen chip.

Heck, the Hawks likely still could. They still could use a quality defensemen and Teravainen could be the ticket to that end.

No, though, the 21-year-old Finn wasn't traded yet and it would be a seismic shock if he were before this afternoon's deadline.

Oh, what a relief it is.

"My goal," Teravainen reiterated after helping beat the Caps, "is to be a part of this team and a part of this organization."

Judging by recent developments and rhetoric, Teravainen looks to be on his way toward being a part of something even bigger and better: The Blackhawks' core.

At some point the Hawks will need to add to and then replace some more of the core pieces.

Artemi Panarin already has jumped into the group and it appears that the plan calls for Teravainen to be included in the next wave.

Good idea, fellas.

As great as it would be for the Hawks to repeat as Stanley Cup champions this season, it's not like they're the Cubs.

The Hawks already won three championships in the past six seasons and should contend for more during the rest of the decade.

The impression is that if the Hawks don't win another Cup this year, they will next year or the next year or any of the coming years.

That's different from, say, the Cubs last season. They were trying to win their first World Series title since 1908, so trading some of the future for a better chance in the present would have been OK.

The Cubs are expected to contend this year and for many years to come, but they still have to win one.

If this were 2010 and the Hawks were pursuing their first Stanley Cup since 1961, sure, go ahead and trade Teravainen to maximize the opportunity.

As intelligently as the Hawks operate, they just might win this year with Teravainen in a complementary role and again in a later year with him in a core role.

Teravainen has shuffled from line to line and position to position this season, which perhaps stunted his growth a bit.

Now the blueprint for the rest of the season has Teravainen centering the Hawks' third line in the middle of two wingers acquired last week.

"It's always nice to have (the same) role to play every night," Teravainen said. "But (moving around) was good for me to get some experience."

The Hawks' confidence in Teravainen combined with his own should pay off during the next few months and beyond.

That's how it looked against the Capitals.

Andrew Ladd bounced a puck to Teravainen, whose nifty pass set up Jonathan Toews for the power-play goal that put the Hawks ahead 2-1.

Teravainen looked like - the Hawks can only hope - both the present and the future in that one sequence.

"It was fun today for sure," Teravainen said.

The first of many fun days he and the Hawks have planned for the coming years.

mimrem@dailyherald.com