Lapointe sees Toews as captain material
Maybe Blackhawks veteran Martin Lapointe knows something nobody else does.
The Hawks may or may not name a team captain before Thursday's opener at Minnesota, but Lapointe contends that rookie Jonathan Toews has everything it takes for the job -- not that the 19-year-old Toews is going to get it, at least not now.
"Me, personally, I'd make him captain right now," Lapointe told ESPN.com. "It's not that I don't want the 'C.' He could sit beside me and I could help him. I would take pride in that.
"Jonathan's the kind of guy who wants to be a leader, who wants to learn from the veterans. He's a smart kid too. He plays with a lot of emotion. He's not just a skill guy who can score goals. With him you get the whole package. Very special."
The Detroit Red Wings named a young Steve Yzerman, a former teammate of Lapointe's, captain at 21.
"He's got a lot of similarities," Lapointe said of Toews. "He's scary good."
In Pittsburgh, 19-year-old Sidney Crosby is captain of the Penguins.
Walking wounded: The Hawks are banged up heading into the final weekend of the preseason.
Martin Havlat has a sore groin and likely won't play Saturday at St. Louis, coach Denis Savard said.
"Hopefully he's ready for Sunday's last exhibition (at Minnesota)," Savard said. "I'd like to have the whole team playing that night."
Tuomo Ruutu and Patrick Kane also have sore groins while Dustin Byfuglien likely won't play this weekend because of a pulled side muscle.
Rookie Jonathan Toews skated Wednesday but did not practice. He was encouraged by how he handled the puck despite a broken right index finger. Toews plans to be ready for Thursday's season opener at Minnesota.
"No doubt about it," Toews said.
"We'll see where he's at in a week or so," Savard said, raising the possibly that the 2006 No. 1 draft pick might miss the opener.
Down to the wire: The Hawks won't make their final roster decisions until after this weekend's games.
Forwards Adam Burish, Jack Skille, Petri Kontiola, Dave Bolland, David Koci and defenseman Danny Richmond are still in competition for roster spots.
"That's why we still have them here," said Denis Savard. "It's going to go right down to the wire."
General manager Dale Tallon said Bolland would play at Minnesota after recovering from a deep cut behind his knee that has kept him out of the first six games.
"This kid's going to be a great player for us whether he's here or not this year," Savard said of Bolland. "He's going to be a No. 2 center in this league."
The Hawks reduced the roster by two on Wednesday when they sent goalie Corey Crawford and defenseman Prestin Ryan to Norfolk.
Blue-line help: The Hawks on Thursday acquired 6-foot-2, 206-pound defenseman Karl Pilar on waivers from Atlanta.