Eight soon to be a crowd on defense
EDMONTON, Alberta - In what could be a hint of things to come on defense for the Blackhawks, Brent Sopel was a healthy scratch Tuesday night against the Oilers when James Wisniewski came off injured reserve.
Wisniewski made his 2008-09 debut after missing the first 28 games following off-season right knee surgery and had an assist in the first period.
"Sometimes you have to reason why you're sitting out a defenseman," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I can say in this case it's not because of (Sopel's) play, it's basically by numbers.
"I want to get Wiz in there. I want to see how he's done. He's practiced well and deserves to play. Usually you have a good excuse to take a defenseman out, but not tonight."
The decisions are going to get even tougher for Quenneville when Aaron Johnson comes off injured reserve. Johnson, who is eligible to come off IR on Saturday after missing his 10th game Friday at Calgary, was one of the Hawks' top four defensemen when he suffered an upper body injury Nov. 26 at San Jose.
"I think it's always good to have some competition," Wisniewski said. "There's nothing like friendly competition to keep everybody honest and working hard."
If salary-cap concerns help decide which defensemen stay on the roster, it could mean bad news for either Sopel or Cam Barker.
Sopel has a $2.5 million salary-cap hit and Barker a $2.4 million hit. Barker could be assigned to Rockford without clearing waivers since he still is on his entry-level contract, but he notched his 14th point in the first period Tuesday and has become a power-play key, so how does he go back?
Sopel or Matt Walker would need to clear waivers. The Hawks had been shopping Sopel earlier, but with two more years on his contract after this one he is going to be difficult to move in a trade.
Fitting right in: It's obvious the Hawks believe James Wisniewski is one of their top four or five defensemen, which is why he immediately went back in the lineup.
"He's mobile, he's quick, he's got a nice shot, he's feisty," Joel Quenneville said.
Wisniewski tore the ACL in his right knee working out during the summer.
"It's pretty exciting to finally get back after all the hard work I put in the last six months," Wisniewski said.
Taking turns: Joel Quenneville said he would likely continue alternating goalies Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet the rest of the trip.
That would mean Huet starts Friday at Calgary and Khabibulin on Saturday at Vancouver.
The Hawks then don't play again until Dec. 26 against Philadelphia at the United Center.
"Both guys right now look like they deserve to play," Quenneville said.
Top secret: The Hawks chartered to Calgary immediately after Tuesday's game and will practice at the Saddledome on Thursday following a day off today for "team building," according to the club's itinerary.
Joel Quennville refused to discuss what was planned.