No new moves as Hawks happy with team

The NHL trade deadline came and went Wednesday with the Blackhawks standing pat.

So for those fans wanting Ryan Kesler or Thomas Vanek or Matt Moulson, defenseman David Rundblad and center Peter Regin will have to do.

"We weren't looking to do anything," said Hawks general manager Stan Bowman. "We made our big move earlier when we got Kris Versteeg and we've made some other minor moves in between. We actually were excited to acquire David Rundblad, but we weren't looking to do anything else."

Rundblad was acquired Tuesday from Phoenix for a second-round draft pick. The Hawks also got defenseman Mathieu Brisebois in the deal and assigned him to Rockford. Bowman said Rundblad was a player the team wanted for quite some time. He is a former No. 1 pick with St. Louis (17th overall) in 2009.

"He's a really talented player," Bowman said. "Sometimes a change of scenery can really help a player like him."

Rundblad certainly hopes that's the case.

"This is kind of a fresh start for me," Rundblad said Wednesday after his first practice with the Hawks. "I didn't really get a good opportunity in Phoenix. I felt like something had to happen because I need to play games."

Rundblad played in 12 games with the Coyotes, only two since Jan. 1. The addition of Rundblad gives the Hawks eight defensemen again. He essentially replaces Mike Kostka, who was lost on waivers to Tampa Bay coming out of the Olympic break.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville thinks Rundblad is a similar player to Kostka.

"I think they're comparable maybe offensively," Quenneville said. "(Rundblad's) younger. We'll see. I think offensively he's got some real nice assets to him, might complement our team."

Bowman said you can never have too many defensemen and actually feels the Hawks have 10 defensemen who could play in the NHL at the moment.

"We've really accomplished a lot over the last couple of seasons with the group we have here, and we're not looking to break it apart and try to bring in new players," he said. "If we can add to it, which we've been doing all year by not trading away roster players from here, that was always our objective.

"We have a plan in place to keep this group together, and we've got some young players that are right on the horizon that will be pushing for big spots on our team. I believe in this group. We've had a lot of success with the main players and we've been able to surround them with young players who can contribute.

"That doesn't guarantee you anything other than, if you play your best hockey, you're a tough team to beat."

Bowman still believes the Hawks have all the pieces necessary to win another Stanley Cup.

"I do," he said. "That's what we're always focused on. You can never get ahead of yourselves because it's a very competitive division and conference we're in. That's sort of where our focus is right now; you can't really look too far down the road.

"We're still focused on winning our division; that's the goal right now. When you do that, then you get in the playoffs and once you're in the playoffs, anything can happen."

Quenneville also believes the Hawks have what it takes to win a third Cup in five years.

"We definitely like our team in a lot of ways," he said. "If you look at the last couple, three deadlines, we've added Johnny Oduya and added (Michal) Handzus last year. I wouldn't say huge deals, but they both came in and really fit in well with our team."

• Follow Tim's Blackhawks and hockey reports on Twitter @TimSassone.