Hawks will negotiate with Havlat after playoffs
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Don't believe any of those Martin Havlat contract rumors out there.
Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon said Thursday there have been no talks since the start of the playoffs and there won't be any until after they end.
"Both sides have agreed to that," Tallon said. "Marty has been great. He knows this is not the time."
There has been speculation of a long-term contract in the works for Havlat, perhaps as many as nine to 11 years.
Havlat would become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, which means the Hawks will have exclusive rights to negotiate with the veteran winger until then.
Havlat turned around his Hawks career with an outstanding regular season that saw him lead the team with 29 goals and 77 points. He continued his strong play in the first round against Calgary with 3 goals and 3 assists in six games.
Stepping up: Defenseman Brian Campbell was looking to pick up against the Canucks where he left off in the Calgary series when he played some of his best hockey in weeks.
Campbell had a goal and 3 assists against the Flames, with his goal in Game 6 on Monday snapping a 49-game drought.
Campbell hadn't scored since Dec. 26, a span of the final 44 games of the regular season and the first five of the playoffs.
"Honestly, I really didn't think about it too much," Campbell said. "If I don't score in the regular season for 82 games, if I get a chance to score in the playoffs that's worth it."
Campbell had 52 points during the regular season, giving the Hawks pretty much what they expected when they signed him to that eight-year, $56.8 million contract as a free agent.
The Hawks didn't sign Campbell to be a shutdown defender, but his presence along with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker gave the Hawks one of the most dangerous puck-moving defenses in the NHL.
Eight is enough: Those eight players recalled from Rockford on Wednesday were brought up as a reward for the seasons they had in the American Hockey.
Recalled were goalies Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi, defenseman Jordan Hendry and forwards Jack Skille, Jake Dowell, Bryan Bickell, Pascal Pelletier and Evan Brophey.
Only Hendry practiced with the big club on Wednesday. The eight had their own practice following Thursday's morning skate.
Blame the NHL: For those fans angry that Game 1 against Vancouver wasn't televised on Comcast SportsNet, that was a league call all the way, according to the Hawks.
The Versus network has exclusive rights to Game 1 and will have them again for Game 4 at the United Center. Comcast will televise Games 2 and 3 with Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk, as well as provide extensive pregame and postgame coverage for all Hawks playoff games.