Johan Franzen, who played well in the playoffs last season and had his breakthrough season in 2008-2009 has really shown he can step up when it really matters. He leads the Red Wings with 18 points, half of which come from goals. He has been the biggest asset to Detroit in these playoffs. 

Chris Osgood has also been outstanding. Many doubted his play because of his season stats and most people do not look at him as a Stanley Cup goalie even after last season. He has shown that he is more than capable though. His stats may not be up there with Fleury or even Khabibulin but his 0.922 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average have proven to be strong enough, even without Brian Rafalski in the first five games of the Anaheim series. 

Scoring has been coming from other unexpected places. Pavel Datsyuk has been seldom seen in these playoffs and has been held to just five points in 12 games. Second and third line players like Dan Cleary, Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler have stepped up their game and have combined for 27 points in only 12 games.

Detroit was able to take game 1 of its series against Chicago because of these backup goal scorers. The series is not over yet though, not by a long shot. Detroit won the season series against the Black Hawks 4-2 but they lost the last two meetings. Detroit will need to keep up with the speed and skill of Chicago’s young players like Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews. Chicago’s young blue liners like Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will also need to be contained. Veterans Brian Campbell and Martin Havlat pose major threats offensively as they have combined for 22 points in twelve games. 

Detroit’s goal-tending has to remain rock solid and their go-to offence-men like Datsyuk have to step up in order for them to win three more games in this series.

The Defense has been fairly strong the last few years as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have been the anchors that the blueline strength has leaned on. With Brent Sopel coming in last season to lend a much needed veteran presence, the Defensive core got that much stronger on the depth chart. This season the highest rated free agent defenseman, Brian Campbell, signed a big contract to come be a Blackhawk. Whether Brian is the last piece of the puzzle or not is yet to be seen, but at $7.1 million per year expectations will be high. The depth at the #5/#6 spot was filled out last year nicely by James “Wiz” Wisniewski. But Wiz is out until probably December healing up from his 3rd knee surgery. While Cam Barker played defense for 45 games last season, he has been sent down to the AHL partner in Rockford. Rumors suggest Cam will return to the NHL as early as this weekend. The other surprise on the blueline is defensive specialist Niklas Hjalmarsson. With only 13 NHL games under his belt last season, Niklas will surprise in my opinion. I expect good things on the Blueline this year over all.

On the Free Agent Frenzy day (July 1st) Dale Tallon (Blackhawks GM)surprised and shocked the NHL by signing Christobel Huet while already having Nikolai Khabibulin under contract. With $13 mil worth of starting goaltending, it is most likely that one will be dealt. Rumors have abounded that Khabibulin will be traded, but no substantial action has taken place yet. Having two starting goaltenders has pushed back the promotion of either Corey Crawford or Antii Niemi for now. Look for Khabibulin to be dealt and both Crawford and Niemi to make appearances in the NHL. If it’s Crawford, expect big things from the talented netminder who shut out the Ducks for his first NHL career win. But keep a close eye on camp stand out Niemi, as he has shown alot of promise.

Robert Lang being dealt left the veteran presence on the Forward lines thinner. Craig Adams is the oldest Forward on the team at a measely 30 years old. But don’t let the youthfulness on the club fool you. Kane and Toews have already been mentioned at only 20 years old a piece. They might not be legal to buy beers, but they can still play. No doubt about that. Dustin Byfuglien switched up to Forward from Defenseman last season and has slowly developed into a more competent and able power forward. Martin Havlat claims he’s ready to play 82+ games this season, but I wouldn’t take that to Vegas. Though possibly the most talented forward on the team, his career has been plagued by a string of injuries. IF Havlat was to remain healthy he would no doubt lead the team in scoring and be a giant boost to the entire offense.

It will be a DO or DIE year for 2005 1st round pick Jack Skille. Many expect big things from him, but at this point in his career and contract, it’s breakout or move on for him. Dave Bolland will make his first full season debut having made the NHL roster for this year. Kris Versteeg will also make his first full season debut this year with Colin Fraser. With question marks having over these players’ heads it will make for an interesting season. Whether they will be up to the challenge is up to them.

Andrew Ladd was the surprise mid season addition last year when the Blackhawks unexpectedly traded energy player Tuomo Ruutu. After coming to Chicago his game caught fire and he clicked with the game style played in Chicago. Whether that was a fluke will be seen this season. I suspect him to come out ready to go and surprise.

Patrick Sharp was snubbed in All Star voting last year for I imagine the last time in his career. Every season has seen Patrick’s play improve by leaps and bounds. With a penchant for stickhandling into and through traffic and a dangerous shot, Sharp earned himself an “A” on his sweater. This year he should get the respect and esteem he deserves after flying under the radar last season.

I could not possibly skip over either Adam Burrish or Ben Eager. Eager will begin the season with a 3 game suspension. If he doesn’t step it up, he’ll be playing Rockford before the season is over. While Adam Burrish also spends his share of time in the box, his super pest game and razor tongue get results without suspensions. I have a sneaking hunch that Adam will find the back of the net more than 4 times this year. Despite being a defensive specialist and a pest, he possesses a high level of skill for the game. My advice is to never take your eye of the guy when he’s on the ice.

I expect the Blackhawks to come out hard and heavy from the word “Go!” this season. Having only missed the Playoffs by a measely 3 points last season, they’ll be playing for blood this season. Finally having put the “C” on a player and giving a nod to leadership will be strong. Whether 20 year old Jonathan Toews is up for the challenge of being a Captain in the NHL is yet to be seen, but the players seem to be behind him all the way. Whether that unification will pay off is not known. At any rate I can assure you that Blackhawks hockey will be an exciting entertainment outlet for all Hockey afficiandos. Tune in Friday October 10th to see the Blackhawks kick their season off against fellow Original 6 franchise the New York Rangers.

When Marian Hossa played for the Ottawa Senators his performance was undoubtedly marginal for a player with his talent. Hossa’s numbers for the Sens in the post season were 51 games played, 13 goals, 21 assists for 34 points. Hossa only played four games in the post season for the Atlanta Thrashers– a team which he was traded to with Gregg de Vries for Dany Heatley– and his totals were 1 assist for one point.

While in Ottawa Hossa played with Martin Havlat, and Daniel Alfedsson, which is why people were wondering why his totals weren’t higher. When Hossa was playing for the Sens, they really didn’t have more scoring than that line, so it was easy for a team to shut down the Sens.

While in Atlanta, Hossa played with Marc Savard, and Ilya Kovalchuk. To Hossa’s defence he only played in 4 games for the Thrashers in the post season, but he only managed to total 1 assist, which some fans were saying that if Hossa would have scored more, perhaps the Thrashers would have gone further.

Now that Hossa is in Pittsburgh, he seems to be on a tear, with 8 goals, and 7 assists for 15 points in 12 games, I don’t hear anyone criticizing him this year in the post season. Sure Hossa is playing with Sidney Crosby, and the while fact that Evgeni Malkin is on the team doesn’t hurt either, Hossa is having a great play-off run.

Hossa has played with arguably some of the best players in hockey over the last few years. Kovalchuk, Crosby, Alfredsson, Havlat, and Malkin have all called Hossa a team-mate. All three teams that Hossa has played for, have had the luxury of being able to put talent on his line, why is it that in Pittsburgh Hossa is thriving?  Are Crosby and Malkin more talented than Havlat and Alfredsson? Perhaps more talented than Kovalchuk and Savard. Well Savard is the one with the least amount of talent amongst those other names, but having Alfredsson and Havlat as line-mates isn’t bad at all, and having Kovalchuk as your other winger isn’t bad either, so why is Hossa playing better in Pittsburgh?

Perhaps there are better leaders in Pittsburgh. Maybe the coaching suits Hossa’s style more. But possibly, the fact that Hossa’s line– which includes Crosby– isn’t the only line scoring, so teams aren’t only watching, and defending against Hossa. Let’s face it, in Ottawa Hossa’s line was doing almost all of the scoring, in Atlanta, same thing.

Marian Hossa is making some spectacular passes, and scoring some nice goals in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately given the fact Hossa becomes an unrestricted free agent this July 1, it will be hard for the Pens to keep him. Pittsburgh has to deal with Ryan Malone–if they choose to keep him– and Sidney Crosby starts earning the 8.5 million next season, not to mention the fact that Malkin’s entry contract is up after next season.

Hossa has always been a star in the NHL, now he is trying to be a post season star as well. Hossa who almost ended up playing for the Montreal Canadiens in late February, has been rumoured going everywhere, most notably Boston, or Montreal next season. With these play-offs being great for the Slovak, his asking price just went up from 7-8 million to 8-10 million for his next contract. Someone will give him that amount of money, especially if he keeps producing in the post season.

For now Hossa is silencing all of his critics. It’s good to see someone with all that talent not being criticized be everyone for once. Let’s hope that he keeps producing for the Pens.

According to Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News, the Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon will try to move high-priced forward Martin Havlat and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin during the off-season.

Trading both players, who become unrestricted free agents next summer, would give the Blackhawks $12.75 million to spend in free agency.

If the Blackhawks don’t trade both players, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun believes that the club will certainly deal Havlat.

Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal reports that Los Angeles Kings pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Rob Blake would like to continue his NHL career for one or two more seasons. And preferably with the Kings.

However, for that to happen, Matheson suggests that the veteran blueliner will have to take a significant pay cut down to around $3 million per season.

Matheson also reiterates earlier reports that the Ottawa Senators can buy out goalie Ray Emery between June 15 and June 30 at one-third of the $6.75 million left on the last two years of his contract. That translates to a salary cap hit of $562,000 each of the next four years. Matheson suggests that that the Senators will indeed take advantage of this opportunity to dump Emery.

Look for the Edmonton Oilers to shop defenseman Joni Pitkanen in the off-season, according to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch.

Portzline also reports that Oilers pending UFA forward Geoff Sanderson will retire at season’s end.

Garrioch believes that the New York Islanders will not trade goalie Rick DiPietro despite the friction he and head coach Ted Nolan.

Garrioch also reports that Colorado Avalanche pending UFA goaltender Jose Theodore could be pursued by the Kings and the Tampa Bay Lightning should he decided to go on the market.

More from Garrioch, he reports on a number of non-trades leading up to last month’s trade deadline.

First off, word is that the Philadelphia Flyers were willing to part with forward Jeff Carter and their first round draft pick for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. The deal fell through when Kaberle invoked the no-trade clause in his contract.

Secondly, the Atlanta Thrashers were unsuccessful in their attempts to move defenseman Alexei Zhitnik.

Lastly, Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough wasn’t willing to meet the asking price for Florida Panthers forward Olli Jokinen.

However, both players refused to waive the no-trade clauses in their contracts.

Kaberle says that while it’s flattering other teams showed interest in him, he had no intentions of leaving Toronto.

“It’s nice when there is interest,” Kaberle said of the Flyers. “But I’ve said it every day in the past month — I wanted to stay here. I love it here.”

Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Florida Panthers pending UFA defenseman Jassen Cullimore hopes to stick around with the club past this season.

Still with the Panthers, GM Jacques Martin tells Gorten that there’s nothing new to report in regards to suspended forward Chad Kilger. The former Toronto Maple Leaf is still to report to the team that acquired him on deadline day last month.

Martin said he has talked with Kilger “a couple of times” last week, though he remains unsure whether the veteran pivot will play again this season.

“I don’t know if I can say that, but there’s no new development on it.”

Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily Herald reports that Chicago Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon shopped forward Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin at the deadline, but didn’t find the right deal. Sassone suggests that Tallon may try to deal the duo in the summer.

If it were up to Sassone, though, he would hang on to Havlat and try to clear out Khabibulin to make room for goalie Corey Crawford.

Adrian Dater of The Denver Post suggests that Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore “will keep Colorado at the top of his wish list if/when he does become unrestricted” this summer.

There was some thought last summer that the Avalanche may buy out Theodore, but that did not happen. The former Hart Trophy winner may take that into consideration and give the Avalanche a better chance to re-sign him.

The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont reports that Atlanta Thrashers forward Erik Christensen wanted out of Pittsburgh because he wasn’t getting enough playing time.

Dupont also suggests that the Boston Bruins should give goalie Tim Thomas a one-year contract extension, while signing Glen Metropolit to a two-year extension due to their strong performances this season.

Lastly from Dupont, he reports that the San Jose Sharks tried hard to deal struggling forward Patrick Marleau before the February 26 trade deadline, but could not find any takers.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Marleau has a “no-movement” clause kicks in on July 1, so he will be even more difficult to deal. That’s why the Sharks wanted to part ways with him now.

Garrioch also reports that the Montreal Canadiens contacted the Chicago Blackhawks to inquire about the availability of forward Martin Havlat, but could not put a deal together. Speculation is that Havlat may be moved during the off-season.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens were also working on trading pending unrestricted free agent forward Michael Ryder to the Calgary Flames for Alex Tanguay. It’s believed that the deal fell through when Flames GM Darryl Sutter decided not trade Tanguay.

Tanguay, who agreed to waive his no-trade clause, is said to be disappointed he was not moved.

Look for the Washington Capitals to attempt and re-sign pending UFA goalie Cristobal Huet, says Garrioch. If they’re successful, longtime Capitals netminder and pending UFA Olaf Kolzig could find himself playing for another team.

Did the Columbus Blue Jackets trade pending UFA defenseman Adam Foote to the Colorado Avalanche over $500,000? Yes, according to Garrioch.

The Blue Jackets also lost out on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brad Richards, even though they made a decent offer of forwards Gilbert Brule and Dan Fritsche along with a prospect.

So, which teams tried to acquire Blackhawks forward Tuomo Ruutu before the was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes? Garrioch claims it was the Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Negotiations between the Buffalo Sabres and goalie Ryan Miller aren’t going well, as Miller doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to sign a contract extension with the Sabres. This leaves Garrioch to speculate that he’ll take off as a UFA after the 2008-09 season.

Carbonneau stated earlier this month that whatever goalie wins, stays in goal. Does this mean with Price losing his last outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his still being in goal for the next game that Huet will be dealt? Could there be a trade in the works? Possibly Huet, Micheal Ryder, a draft pick, and possibly Alex Emlin’s rights could go to the Edmonton Oilers for Jaret Stoll, Dwayne Roloson, and Joni Pitkanen?

Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks has been reported to be on the general manager of the Canadiens Bob Gainey’s radar, along with Robert Lang also of the Hawks. Does the fact that some players have exercised their no trade clause tie Gainey’s hands of sort being that he has coveted those players? Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers, and Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers have had their market value triple in the last few hours, does this mean Gainey has to revert to plan B and go after Havlat and Lang?

The Montreal Canadiens defence of late has been less than desirable, will the Habs reinforce their defence for the play-offs by getting Buffalo Sabers Brian Campbell? Would the Canadiens be able to sign him, and with the free agents the Habs have to deal with at the end of next season, how much could they afford to sign him for? The Canadiens need help at defence as it’s hard to believe that Patrice Brisebois will be the salvation of the team. Campbell would be another offensive threat from the blue line and be moderate in the defensive zone which, would be better than nothing, but would it be worth 4-6 million a year, which is probably what Campbell will be asking for.

Word is that the Devils are interested in Robert Lang and Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning, pending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa of the Atlanta Thrashers, and UFA Peter Forsberg.

On a lesser scale, Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports that the Devils have some interest in Columbus Blue Jackets forward Manny Malhotra.

The defensive-specialist would come much cheaper than the aforementioned players, both in terms of assets and salary, but would not provide the scoring punch the other do. Malhotra makes $1.5 million this season.

Meanwhile, one player that hopes to stay in New Jersey past the February 26 trade deadline, is pending UFA forward Arron Asham.

Asham tells Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger that he hopes that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t move him before the trade deadline and the two sides can work out a contract extension instead.

“Definitely. I like it in New Jersey. Lou has brought me here for a reason,” Asham said. “I have to go out there and get a couple goals or start a fight. I hope there is a spot for me here. This is definitely an exciting time of year. Hopefully I’ll be a part of the Devils for the playoffs.”

Hossa and Havlat, who were teammates with the Ottawa Senators, are both said to be on the outs with their respective teams, but for different reasons.

Hossa is a soon-to-be UFA and doesn’t appear to be all that interested in re-signing with the Thrashers, calling the chances of it happening “slim.” Thus, Thrashers GM Don Waddell may look to deal Hossa so as to not lose him for nothing in the summer.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are willing to move Havlat due to his inconsistent play, injury problems, and his $6 million salary cap hit.

However, the Canadiens will have competition for both Hossa and Havlat.

Even though they are the most aggressive team in picking up Hossa, the Canadiens will have to battle it out with the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks, according to Garrioch.

Which ever team wins the Hossa sweepstakes, they will have to meet the Thrashers’ asking price of “a player who can help immediately, a prospect and a draft pick.”

As for Havlat, he is said to be pursued by the Devils among other teams.

Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli tells the Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa that he has no place for suspended forward Stanislav Chistov to the roster at this time.

Chistov, who remains suspended by the Bruins and still their property, left Salavat Yulayev Ufa, the Russian Super League club he played for this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson tells Tom Reed of The Columbus Dispatch he expects to meet with Rick Curran, the agent for pending UFA Adam Foote, within the next 48 hours.

Howson wants to find out what how much money Foote is looking for to re-sign with the club.

James Gordon of The Ottawa Citizen suggests that the idea of the Ottawa Senators acquiring goalie Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers or Nikolai Khabibulin of the Chicago Blackhawks is “unrealistic and counter-productive.”

While his name has been mentioned in trade rumors involving Martin Havlat of the Blackhawks, Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers and even Mats Sundin of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mark Everson of the New York Post is not convinced that the New Jersey Devils want to part with struggling forward Brian Gionta this season.

That doesn’t mean the Devils aren’t looking to improve their roster.

It’s believed that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is looking to acquire some that matches the the kind of players his head coach, Brent Sutter, likes.

“I like a team that has a junkyard dog mentality,” Sutter said yesterday, discussing the personality of his team rather than the Feb. 26 trade deadline. “You don’t want to be a quiet team because a lot of times, you’re a quiet team on the ice, too.”

Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke said in a conference call with the media that he’s heading into the NHL general managers meetings, set to begin Monday, unsure if he’ll make any deals, reports Rick Sadowski of the Rocky Mountain News.

“I’m not sure what I have yet, and I’m not sure what I’m looking for.”

Burke owns the Oilers’ first-round draft pick for losing restricted free agent forward Dustin Penner to an offer sheet last summer, but he says he’s more inclined to keep it than trade it for a rental.

During the same conference call, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell sounded as if he was still unsure about what he’ll do with pending UFA Marian Hossa before the February 26 trade deadline.

“We have one of our stars that’s up in the air,” Waddell said of Hossa.

“If we don’t sign the player, then we’ve got to make a decision whether we’re going to trade that player or ride him out for the rest of the year and try to keep our team as strong as we can.”

“I wouldn’t give my last draft choice in order to get him,” was the way the fellow put it to me.

“It’s not because he isn’t an honest, hard-working player, but because he has lost it. The many wars against much bigger and tougher fellows are telling on him. He is trying hard, but he can’t get there anymore.”

And that may be just fine with the veteran player. Tucker, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, says he would like to remain with the Maple Leafs.

With Hollywood mogul Oren Koules getting closer to purchasing the Tampa Bay Lightning, Erik Erlendsson of The Tampa Tribune reports that it’s becoming more likely the club will re-sign pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dan Boyle.

As well, the chances of forwards Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis sticking around have also increased.

Mark Everson of the New York Post reports that New Jersey Devils forward Brian Gionta’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors involving forwards Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks and Olli Jokinen of the Florida Panthers.

Gionta tells Everson he’s not aware of the speculation.

“I haven’t heard it,” he said.

Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland tells Detroit Free Press that he expects a number of significant deals leading up to the February 26 trade deadline.

“I think there’s probably going to be three or four high-profile trades,” Holland said. “There are names being bandied about. Some are going to be traded. Some aren’t. There’s going to be lots of third-line players, sixth or seventh defensemen (traded). They’re not going to change the nature of your team. They’re going to give you a little depth.”

As for the Red Wings in particular, Holland is said to be interested in acquiring a scoring forward. Holland also hints that he’ll be looking to make a big splash on the trade market rather than just adding marginal talent.

“Other than the high profile players, I don’t know how much better some of these players are than what we’ve got,” Holland said.

Panthers GM and Jacques Martin tells George Richards of the Miami Herald that he’s looking to bolster his injury-riddled roster prior to the trade deadline.

However, youngsters such as forwards Shawn Matthias and Michal Frolik are off limits.

“We’re always looking to add some players if we can,” Martin said. “The only drawback with that is, a lot of time they’re asking for guys like Matthias, Frolik. For the better of the organization, you don’t want to give up one of those young players that you’re going to count on for a lot of years. They’re going to be significant.”

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that the Buffalo Sabres are not “confident a deal is going to get done” with pending UFA defenseman Brian Campbell.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier met with Larry Kelly, Campbell’s agent, Tuesday in Ottawa and were not able to reach a framework for a deal.

All six teams are currently out of the playoff race, and if things remain the same, could decide to move some of their pending unrestricted and restricted free agents, as well as some of their more expensive players.

In Toronto, forward Mats Sundin (UFA) would have to waive his no-trade clause to be moved; contenders would be all over the talented Swede. Other forwards thought to be available are Vaclav Prospal (UFA) of the Lightning, Mike Comrie (UFA) of the Islanders, and Martin Lapointe (UFA) and Martin Havlat of the Blackhawks.

As for defensemen, the Lightning’s Dan Boyle will be much sought after. The New York Rangers are thought to be interested in Barrett Jackman of the Blues and Rob Blake or Brad Stuart of the Kings. Bryce Salvador of the Blues could add some inexpensive depth for playoff-bound teams.

Maple Leafs blueliner Pavel Kubina is also believed to be on the market, but with two years left on his contract at $5 million per season, he could be hard to deal.

Meanwhile, Zipay speculates that if the Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, and Colorado Avalanche fall out of playoff contentions they may also be inclined to ditch some payroll and move some of their soon-to-be UFAs.

That list could include forwards Marian Hossa of the Thrashers and Sergei Fedorov of the Blue Jackets, as well as defensemen Brian Campbell of the Sabres and John-Michael Liles of the Avalanche.

Word is that the asking price for top players is a roster player, a prospect, and first round draft pick.

Apparently, head coach Denis Savard and Havlat have a rocky relationship, one that could affect Havlat’s decision to re-sign with the Blackhawks when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season. Not according to Savard, though.

“There are no problems as far as I’m concerned,” Savard said.

Even if that was the case, the Blackhawks themselves may not want to bring back the injury-prone Havlat, especially at his current $6 million salary, or more.

That’s why Sassone suggests that Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon could trade Havlat before the February 26 trade deadline, perhaps to a contender that loses out on other top players moved before the deadline.

But while Sassone speculates that the Czech forward is already being shopped by the Blackhawks, Tallon tells Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune that he is not looking to move Havlat.

“I’m not shopping him at all,” Tallon said.

That’s not to say the GM isn’t shopping for deals to improve his roster before the February 26 trade deadline.

“We’re waiting to see what happens here the next couple of weeks,” he said. “I think there will be a lot of action at the deadline.”

Should Tallon deal Havlat and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, as has been rumored, would clear up to $13 million to spend on players for next year.