Blackhawks acquire offensive help in Vermette
Special to the Daily Herald
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman got his guy for a second straight day.
Bowman completed a trade Saturday night with the Arizona Coyotes to add veteran center Antoine Vermette to the Blackhawks' roster, further strengthening the team's depth down the middle of the ice. The price was the Blackhawks' first-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft and 23-year old defense prospect Klas Dahlbeck.
Vermette, 32, has 430 points (194 goals) in 815 career NHL games. He has played 11 seasons split between Ottawa, Columbus and Arizona.
This season the two-way center has 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 63 games and owns a 56 percent success rate on faceoffs, which ranks eighth in the NHL. He has taken 1,381 draws this season, which is fourth most in the league.
Before Patrick Kane sustained a broken clavicle Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, there was some question whether Bowman would make any trades before Monday's 2 p.m. trade deadline. In a little more than 24 hours, the Hawks announced trades for veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen and Vermette.
Timonen, 39, was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday for a second-round pick in 2015 and a conditional pick in the 2016 draft. He hasn't played all season because of blood clots in his lungs and legs, but the issue has cleared and he's ready to play.
Vermette, who comes with a reported $3.75 million salary-cap figure, played in every game for the Coyotes. He has centered the top line much of the season with captain Shane Doan on the right wing and has played in 456 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak in the league.
Dahlbeck, selected by the Blackhawks in the third round of the 2011 draft (79th overall), made his NHL debut Dec. 6 against Nashville. The Swedish defender recorded 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 49 games with the Rockford IceHogs this season and was being groomed to be like shutdown defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
The Blackhawks' highest pick in the 2015 draft is now a compensatory second-round selection awarded to them when New York Rangers forward Kevin Hayes, a former first-round pick, opted to become a free agent after four years at Boston College.
Experts think the 2015 draft is loaded with talent, particularly the first few rounds. The Hawks might be able to recapture an early selection in the off-season through salary-cap paring trades, but that's down the line.
These trades were made for the chance to make another deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Timonen and Vermette each have expiring contracts in July. They're rentals to help the Hawks get through the absence of Kane, their leading scorer.
Nobody from the current roster was traded to get either one, which should make the Hawks quite a bit stronger heading into the playoffs. There were reports Saturday that Bowman was listening to offers for Patrick Sharp, but they didn't lead to anything.
Sharp's agent, Rick Curran, was contacted by phone Saturday afternoon and said Bowman told him Thursday he had "not intention whatsoever," of trading Sharp, who has 10 goals and 22 assists in 49 games.
Also Saturday, the Hawks reassigned 28-year old defenseman Kyle Cumiskey to Rockford.