Lapointe gives way to young leaders
At 34 and headed for unrestricted free agency, veteran winger Martin Lapointe didn't figure into the Blackhawks' plans for next season despite his ability as a leader.
"We have a lot of young players and we need to start making room for some of them," general manager Dale Tallon said Tuesday after trading Lapointe to the Ottawa Senators for a sixth-round draft pick.
"Marty been such a great asset and has done a great job with our kids," Tallon said. "He's passed the torch to a lot of our young guys who now know what the leadership role is all about. (Jonathan) Toews, (Adam) Burish, (Patrick) Sharp, all these young guys have learned a lot from Marty. He's been a positive influence in our locker room."
Tallon spoke with Lapointe in the last few days about a trade.
"I talked to him about the situation and he said he would like to play for a contending team to win a Stanley Cup," Tallon said. "I'm happy he's going to Ottawa."
Lapointe was eager to get to his new team.
"I'm excited about it," Lapointe said. "Obviously, I want to bring some grit to the Senators, and if I can bring some leadership, I'll do that. Hopefully we can go far in the playoffs."
Sticking to it: While GM Dale Tallon would have loved to land Brad Richards, he wasn't about to trade for Brian Campbell or Marian Hossa when both players will be available as unrestricted free agents July 1.
"We were not going to panic and do something that would hurt our future," Tallon said. "We understand where we are and where we're going. We didn't want to mortgage the future for a quick fix.
"We've got a process in place and we're happy with the way things are developing."
Tallon expects to have plenty of money to spend in free agency, where there's little doubt Campbell will be the Hawks' prime target.
Lang out: When Robert Lang left the ice at practice Tuesday it was thought he might have been traded as well.
It turned out Lang has a sore back and groin and won't play tonight against Phoenix at the United Center or Thursday in Dallas.
GM Dale Tallon said center Petri Kontiola would be recalled from Rockford today to fill in for Lang.
Upon further review: It didn't surprise Dale Tallon that free agent Peter Forsberg signed with Colorado.
It did surprise Tallon that Forsberg decided to play at all.
"I think Colorado was the front-runner all along," said Tallon, who had hoped to sign Forsberg. "I'm kind of surprised it happened so quickly because the last conversation we had was that it was highly unlikely he was going to play this year.
"I was surprised it happened, but I wasn't surprised it was Colorado."
Tip-ins: Nikolai Khabibulin isn't expected back at practice until Friday because of back spasms. … Dale Tallon said there was some interest in Yanic Perreault on Tuesday, but that teams were wary of his broken hand.
Tonight's faceoff
Blackhawks vs. Phoenix Coyotes at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
The skinny: If there's one way for the Hawks to stay close in the Western Conference playoff race it's to win their home games. The Hawks play 12 of their final 20 games at the United Center, where they've been only slightly better than average at 15-13-1. Patrick Lalime starts again in goal looking to bounce back from two so-so performances over the weekend in California. The Hawks have won two of three from the Coyotes, winning the last meeting 2-1 in a shootout Jan. 19 in Phoenix.
Player to watch: Andrew Ladd. The winger acquired Tuesday for Tuomo Ruutu makes his Hawks debut.
Next: Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
-- Tim Sassone