With Huet hot, it's time for Blackhawks to deal
One would have to think the Blackhawks are back where they were last summer, which is seriously trying to get something in a trade for Nikolai Khabibulin.
The Hawks thought they had the veteran goalie traded before camp started, and most have forgotten that they got lucky when that deal fell through and Khabibulin played great.
But now that Cristobal Huet has found his stride, looking like the player who earned his huge Hawks contract with a solid playoff series a year ago in Washington, the Hawks need to move Khabibulin and get assets in return, as soon as Khabibulin is healthy.
I understand fans want their team to keep every player and always add more, but it doesn't work that way.
Fans think their team is going to win the Stanley Cup every year, and that's good, but it's also unrealistic.
That's what fans do. They cheerlead on the good days and rip their team on the bad, and above all else, they get mad when anyone criticizes any aspect of their club.
They get upset when a coach is fired, and then they forget quickly about him when they realize having an experienced coach is the difference between a decent season and a great season.
It's much better than the alternative, which is to have a fan base that doesn't care at all, something with which the Hawks were familiar for a long time.
But while fans are expected to flip-flop, one day refusing to accept a Khabibulin move, the next day the opposite, real hockey pros will tell you that unemotional, asset management is the talk of every NHL front office, and it's the key to managing the cap and moving up the ladder in today's NHL.
Just like they'll tell you the Hawks still need a heavyweight - one who won't be shy when challenged by the Cam Janssens of the world - they'll also tell you that asset management is how you eventually win a Stanley Cup.
It's how you find that center you really need and that size on defense that will be necessary for a long playoff run.
The Hawks today are a very good team when comfortable and when the game's not physical, when their skill players have room to operate and the comfort of knowing they won't get hit.
But in the violent games, against teams that pound them senseless, some of their skill players disappear.
That's why size, toughness and deterrence remain issues for this club.
So, you see, we're still where we were months ago, with the Hawks needing to move Khabibulin and getting something in return.
Sure, it's a nice luxury having two veteran goalies in case one gets hurt, but one of their young netminders was supposed to be Huet's backup and by now should have been ready to step in when necessary.
Heck, some in the organization believe Antti Niemi will end up being the better goalie anyway.
In the meantime, you've already spent most of this season with a whopping 21 percent of your salary cap in goal.
That was costly, to say the least, as the Hawks were unable to add crucial pieces. But the thing to do now is get a player who eventually will help you win the conference and compete for the Stanley Cup.
Minus the emotion, GM Dale Tallon probably is thinking the same thing, even if he can't admit it publicly.
Khabibulin's injury is the best thing that could have happened to Tallon after the embarrassment of being stuck with a goalie he didn't want anymore.
The injury has allowed Huet to prove his worth, and it gives Tallon the opportunity to move a player who rarely earned his salary until this season.
It might not be what a fan wants to hear or believe right now, but that's the reality. It's not a bad thing, either, by the way.
The Hawks' future is quite bright, but as we sit here today, just as was the case many months ago, the Hawks can't afford to keep Nikolai Khabibulin now and lose him for nothing later.
brozner@dailyherald.com