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Buyers or Sellers?
The Chicago Blackhawks are no strangers to making loud moves at the NHL's trade deadline, and the defending champions likely won't stay quiet this time around as well. With a playoff berth all but assured, the Blackhawks (38-19-5) will take the familiar role as a buyer at the deadline as they prepare for a run at their fourth Stanley Cup title in seven years.
So, with Patrick Kane (personal-best 35 goals, NHL-leading 84 points) and Corey Crawford (32-15-3, league-high seven shutouts) enjoying career seasons, what does coach Joel Quenneville's club need to better its chances at once again playing into June? Well, more than you might think.
Team Needs
Chicago has seen a revolving door of candidates attempt to play on the "Lottery Line" with captain Jonathan Toews and veteran Marian Hossa. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, they haven't seen much in the way of dividends since shipping Brandon Saad to Columbus in a blockbuster deal last summer.
In addition, Chicago could also use another defenseman to shore up the back end. During last season's playoffs, Quenneville taxed reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Duncan Keith with considerable ice time - nearly to the point of exhaustion. It's doubtful Quenneville and Keith can go back to that same well again.
Now, whether the Blackhawks reach out across the NHL or look toward Rockford of the American Hockey League to bolster their blue line is a question only general manager Stan Bowman can answer. To no one's surprise, Bowman is not revealing his cards.
Key Players
Andrew Ladd
Just because it's an easy bridge to link Ladd and Chicago doesn't mean it's too difficult to cross, either.
Bowman could reach out to secure the services of the former Blackhawk, especially with Winnipeg being perhaps the lone Central team marked as a seller.
The 30-year-old Ladd, who played on Chicago's championship-winning club in 2010, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The physical forward's familiarity with the Blackhawks could ease the transition for the current captain of the Jets.
James van Riemsdyk
Currently working his way back from a non-displaced fracture in his left foot, van Riemsdyk would fit in well with veterans Toews and Hossa and certainly fill Chicago's need for a top-six forward. Landing the Toronto Maple Leafs star would likely cost a pretty penny, however - not to mention down the road as the second overall pick of the 2007 draft (behind Kane) has a $5 million cap hit for next season.
Then again with Toronto coach Mike Babcock's club in the midst of a major overhaul, BlackhawkUp floated the idea that pairing promising Teuvo Teravainen with a prospect or two might be enough to see van Riemsdyk join his brother, Trevor, in Chicago.
Mikkel Boedker
Chicago ventured into the desert to make a trade deadline deal last year, acquiring the services of Antoine Vermette. While Vermette went back to the Arizona Coyotes after winning the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, Boedker might be tougher to come by with the upstart Coyotes still on the fringes of the postseason discussion. The eighth overall pick of the 2008 draft, Boedker is set to become an unrestricted free agent - so Chicago essentially would be paying for a high-priced rental should it go that route.
Kris Russell
Calgary's disappointing season could be just what pushes Chicago over the top in 2015-16. A shot-blocking defenseman, Russell isn't afraid to get down and dirty and that could be a boon as the Blackhawks attempt to travel a bruising road to another title. Quenneville doesn't need reminding that Chicago has very little in the way of depth behind Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson.
