Richards says no; Hawks get Ladd

Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon tried to hit a home run Tuesday at the trade deadline.

But when Tallon failed to land center Brad Richards from Tampa Bay, he settled for making two smaller deals he believes will help continue his building process.

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

Ladd at 22 is three 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 -- 4 in the last nine games -- but he never has lived up to his offensive potential.

Ladd did win a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and was one of the Hurricanes' best players in the playoffs.

"We like his grit and his skill, his age and his future," said Tallon, who sees Ladd playing on the second or third line. "He's got goal-scoring ability and good skills. We like a lot of things he brings to the table, plus we want to surround our kids with players who have won championships."

Ruutu, the longest tenured Hawk after being the ninth pick in the 2001 draft, leaves town after failing to build on a strong rookie season in 2003-04 when he scored 23 goals. He lost his offensive confidence this season and had gone his last 32 games without a goal.

"I'm not surprised because I had heard rumors," said Ruutu, who played for the Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

Ruutu and Lapointe were pulled off the ice at practice in Bensenville and informed of the trades.

"Trading Ruuty was a hard thing for me to do," Tallon said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He's a great kid. He's worked extremely hard through some tough times physically. Hopefully he'll go there and get his confidence back."

Tallon said he made Tampa Bay what he termed a "substantial offer" for Richards, but in the end the veteran center was traded with goalie Johan Holmqvist by the Lightning to Dallas for goalie Mike Smith, winger Jussi Jokinen and center Jeff Halpern.

Richards had a no-trade clause and told the Lightning he would only waive it to play in Dallas.

"We were heavily involved in that process," Tallon said. "We made a substantial offer and the player made a decision that he wanted to go to one team and that's where he ended up going. It's nothing you can control. With a no-trade, the player has the last say.

"I think he was intrigued by our offer, but he made up his mind he wanted to go to Dallas, and that's the way it went. He liked the direction we're going in and liked where we're headed, but he wanted immediate results. He wanted not to make a lateral move for this year. He wanted to get right into the action with a team that can win the Cup."

The Hawks weren't seriously in on the bidding for Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell, who was traded to San Jose for Steve Bernier and a No. 1 draft pick.

With Campbell's situation, heading for unrestricted free agency this summer, Tallon didn't want to part with any assets when he might have a shot at signing the defenseman come July.

"We like him a lot, obviously," Tallon said. "We had discussions with Buffalo, but it's a big price to pay for renting a player, or a player you might not sign. But he's an unrestricted free agent and when the time comes we'll look into it."

It's not known how close the Hawks came to trading either Martin Havlat or goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, but both players were believed to be in discussions.

A rumor near the deadline claimed the Penguins were interested in Havlat, but then moments later the Penguins acquired skilled winger Marian Hossa from Atlanta.

"We had a couple deals that fell by the wayside because of other deals that went on with other teams," Tallon said. "We're satisfied with how things developed, although you always wish for more."