Blackhawks' trade watch: Gustafsson likely headed out
The clock is ticking.
And when it strikes midnight - wait, make that 2 p.m. Monday - it will be interesting to see if the Blackhawks slide into a few glass slipper deals that will help them become a bona fide contender again in a few years.
Here's the thing, though: General manager Stan Bowman's track record at this time of year is sketchy at best.
True, he acquired Antoine Vermette, Andrew Desjardins and Kimmo Timonen at the deadline in 2015. Two of those deals were big reasons the Hawks claimed a third Stanley Cup in six years. (The Timonen move was a miscalculation, but you can't win 'em all).
Since then? Well, it's been a mixed bag for sure.
The worst deal had to be at the 2016 deadline when Bowman sent Phillip Danault and a 2018 second-round pick to Montreal in exchange for two useless forwards in Dale Weiss and Tomas Fleischmann. Another miscalculation came the next year when Bowman brought back the aging, flat-footed Johnny Oduya, who was utterly exposed by the lightning-fast Predators in an opening-round sweep.
Bowman's had his moments, though, with the best one coming in 2018 when he sent Ryan Hartman to Nashville for Victor Ejdsell, a first-round pick (which became Nicolas Beaudin) and a fourth-round pick (which became Philipp Kurashev).
Now, with the deadline fast approaching, Bowman is almost certainly going to unload defenseman Erik Gustafsson and more than likely will trade either Robin Lehner or Corey Crawford.
It's looking like Gustafsson will be heading to Vegas. As for the goalies, don't be surprised if one of them ends up with Colorado.
Gustafsson was pulled by the Hawks' hockey ops department just before Friday's OT victory over Nashville, while Lehner was uncharacteristically silent after morning skate.
Bowman may be working on unloading other players as well in hopes of stockpiling draft picks and prospects to help turn the Hawks' fortunes around.
Regardless of what happens, this is a stressful time around the dressing room as players get ready to say goodbye to teammates and friends they've bonded with all season.
"It's obviously a time of year where a lot of things happen - guys come in and guys leave," said Dylan Strome. "Never easy to see happen, but it's a business ... so just got to kind of deal with it.
"Obviously it was kind of a shock for all of us when Gus was ready to go on the ice for warmups then was told to stay off for the game. ... He's an awesome guy. He took it well and it's part of the game, I guess."
Without Gustafsson, the Hawks will basically be down to Adam Boqvist and Duncan Keith in terms of defensemen who possess some offensive skill. Boqvist, however, has been struggling of late, while Keith has just 1 goal and 20 assists in his last 59 games dating back to late last season.
Unless Bowman acquires another NHL-ready defenseman, the Hawks' remaining blue liners will be Connor Murphy, Olli Maatta, Slater Koekkoek, Nick Seeler and Lucas Carlsson, who is being called up from Rockford.
Gustafsson has 28 goals over the last three seasons (173 games), which works out to a 13-goal average per season. He grew his game for a season and a half in Rockford, then became a staple in the Hawks' lineup in January 2018.
"He played for Jeremy in Rockford and obviously that team did really well that year," Keith said. "I know what it was like when I had Trent Yawney in the minors and then he kind of moved up. You know the coach knows you and he knows the value in what you can bring.
"He had that confidence as the seasons wore on here. Obviously he's got a lot of skill, a lot of offensive ability and that has helped our team."
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars, 2 p.m. at American Airlines Center
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Dallas had a chance to jump into first place in the Central Division on Friday, but ended up dropping into third after a 5-1 loss to St. Louis. Goalie Ben Bishop was pulled after giving up his fourth goal at 4:45 of the second period. "We've been building some kind of rivalry against this team and they come in on a back-to-back and we couldn't answer," Dallas defenseman John Klingberg told reporters. "It's disappointing, but use it as a wake-up call and let's move on." … Dallas has six players with 13 or more goals. Jamie Benn (18), Roope Hintz (17) and Denis Gurianov (17) lead the way. Gurianov, the 12th overall pick of the 2015 draft, is in his first full season. … Dallas' power play is 11-for-33 over the last 10 games. … Zack Smith (left hand) practiced Saturday and may be able to play. … The Hawks are 1-2-0 against Dallas this season, with their victory coming 2-1 in a shootout on Nov. 23.
Next: St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m. Tuesday at Enterprise Center
- John Dietz