Re-signing Havlat worth the risk, but let Khabibulin go

This is as close as the Blackhawks have been to winning a Stanley Cup since the Mike Keenan teams of the early 1990s.

Who knows what might have happened this year had Anaheim beat Detroit in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series. If the Hawks get the Ducks in the West finals instead of the Red Wings, they might have won the Cup, but we'll never know.

The point is the Hawks are close to a championship. Real close.

General manager Dale Tallon and his staff have organizational meetings later this week to set a course for the off-season. Here are my top five suggestions.

Whether Tallon and his people want to listen is up to them.

1. Re-sign Martin Havlat

I've gone back and forth on this one, but the Hawks need an experienced game-breaker to take the heat off Patrick Kane and the other forwards, and Havlat proved his worth with a great 2008-09 season.

I wouldn't get too crazy with the number of years and the dollars, however. Two or three years for Havlat at about the $6 million he has been making sounds about right.

Some might worry about Havlat's health history and if being in a contract year motivated him to play hurt. In scoring 29 goals and 77 points, we saw a different Havlat than his first two years in Chicago, on and off the ice. We saw a guy who matured into a leader, accepted his status as the team's go-to guy, was looked up to by his young teammates and appreciated them in return.

Besides, if not Havlat, then who? Marian Gaborik is a free agent, but is he ever healthy? And for the kind of money he wants?

Marian Hossa? He's likely not leaving Detroit.

Mike Cammalleri? Not bad, but he's not Havlat.

2. Let Khabibulin walk

There has been a report the Hawks are trying to find a way to keep both Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet. My only question is why?

Let's say Khabibulin would agree to a one-year deal at a hometown discount of $4 million a year. That's still almost $10 million tied up in goalies, which is too much.

If the Hawks can find a way to deal Huet, maybe they try to re-sign Khabibulin, but it's risky. Khabibulin will be 37 in January and has groin issues.

Tallon made the commitment last July to Huet, who played well enough on the whole to deserve the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy. The Hawks need to use Khabibulin's money elsewhere.

3. Bring back Pahlsson

There might not be a cheaper alternative to Sammy Pahlsson, plus the Hawks need to keep their experienced forwards, not get rid of them.

Pahlsson is a nice complement at center behind Jonathan Toews and Dave Bolland. As long as his abdominal problems aren't chronic and his salary demands don't get too much higher than the $1.4 million he made this season, he would be a solid signing.

4. Move Sopel, if possible

Tallon has done a lot of good things to make the Hawks a contender, but signing defenseman Brent Sopel to a three-year extension last season wasn't a good business decision.

Sopel has two years left on his deal at a cap hit of $2.5 million, which is money the Hawks could use in a lot of other places. There was no need to tie up Sopel long-term.

Where does Sopel fit on a defense that goes a solid five deep in Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, Cam Barker and Niklas Hjalmarsson?

Is there a market out there for Sopel? Probably not. There's always a buyout.

5. Upgrade the defense

Matt Walker had a nice year, but the Hawks need to be better on the back end.

There already are a lot of puck-movers on defense. The missing ingredient is a strong defender with size and a nasty streak.

What happens if the Ducks put Chris Pronger on the trade market? The Hawks certainly would need to inquire about him, and they have plenty of assets to offer.

Pronger, or someone like him on defense, could be that missing piece.