Hawks trade away Ruutu, Lapointe in separate deals

Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon made two trades Tuesday morning, and with time to spare before the 2 p.m. NHL trade deadline, he might not be done.

The Hawks traded winger Tuomo Ruutu to the Carolina Hurricanes for left wing Andrew Ladd, then shipped veteran winger Martin Lapointe to the Ottawa Senators for a sixth-round draft pick.

Both Ruutu and Lapointe were on the ice for practice in Bensenville when they were informed of the trades.

Ruutu leaves having lost most of his offensive confidence. He hadn't scored in the last 32 games and in addition will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Ladd, 23, is two years younger than Ruutu and was the fourth player taken in the 2004 draft. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound Ladd has 9 goals this season in 43 games but never has lived up to his offensive potential.

"We acquired a very good young player in Andrew Ladd and in doing so had to give up a good young player in Tuomo Ruutu," Tallon said.

Ruutu, the ninth pick in the 2001 draft, scored 23 goals as a rookie in 2003-04, but his offensive output has dipped ever since. He scored only 6 goals this season in 60 games.

Lapointe was expected to be moved with unrestricted free agency looming this summer. He had been a healthy scratch for the last three games.

The Hawks made what one team official called a substantial offer for Tampa Bay center Brad Richards, who wound up being dealt to Dallas with goalie Johan Holmqvist for goalie Mike Smith, winger Jussi Jokinen and center Jeff Halpern.

Richards has a no-trade clause and it's believed he told Lightning management he would waive it to go to a contender such as Dallas but not to the Hawks.

It's believed the Hawks were not in the running for Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell, who was traded to San Jose.