For now, Bickell still belongs to Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks gave it a shot but were unable to move Bryan Bickell as the NHL trade deadline came and went Monday.

Bickell, who carries a $4 million cap hit, has spent the majority of the season playing for the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Ten days ago, he told the Daily Herald a fresh start might help him, but now that almost certainly won't happen until the off-season at the earliest.

"There was some talk," said Todd Diamond, Bickell's agent. "We were trying to get things done, but it's a tough environment financially. So at the end of the day, (GM) Stan (Bowman) was not able to find someone that could make it work."

Diamond said there were "a handful of teams" interested in Bickell.

Bowman has been impressed with Bickell's willingness to go to Rockford and work on his game and hopes that one day the big forward can get back to being the player he once was.

"He was in and out of the lineup some (with the Hawks)," Bowman said. "And it's hard to recapture your confidence and your swagger when you're not playing a lot.

"But he's been playing a big role in Rockford; he's scoring some goals and I think he's feeling better about his game. That had to happen, and then where it goes from there, I can't really predict."

Bickell has 3 goals and 2 assists in the IceHogs' last seven games. He has 11 goals and 14 assists in 28 games overall.

"We believe he's still an NHL player with several years (left) in the tank," Diamond said.

If the Hawks are unable to trade Bickell next off-season, they may opt to buy out his contract. That would mean cap hits of $1 million in 2016-17 and $1.5 million in 2017-18.