Here are the latest updates regarding the Chicago Blackhawks and Robert Luongo, Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, and Ryan Suter.
Luongo
Although a trade doesn't seem at all likely to happen, it appears the Blackhawks have had some discussions on the enigmatic Vancouver netminder. I heard those discussions involved taking on Luongo and his contract in exchange for a bad contract or two of their own (Michael Frolik?). And with Luongo holding out for a deal to Florida, the discussions have gone no further than basically the GMs acknowledging that a deal is possible. As of right now this deal appears to be more-or-less dead, but there is still a chance that it could happen.
Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis will likely need to rid himself of Luongo's contract if he intends to sign Corey Schneider long term. It's common in Chicago to hate Luongo and disparage him as an emotionally fragile weakling, but the truth is, he's a better netminder than what they have now in Corey Crawford. If Chicago were to move a bad contract or two in exchange for Luongo's, this deal could very much happen.
That being said, Luongo's deal lasts through the 2021-22 NHL season. The word is that the 33 year old Luongo really wants to win a Cup in the next 2-3 years and retire. If that were true, then he becomes a bit more appealing, especially for a team like the Hawks, who can strongly contend for the "Holy Grail" if they improve in net. And perhaps the Hawks start looking better to him.
How likely is it to see Roberto in a Hawks sweater this fall? Not very, but anything can happen.
Kane
Kane is not going to be traded, or even shopped around for that matter, by the Blackhawks right now. He is all too valuable to the team, and he will only get better with time. Relax Hawks fans, you will have your star right-winger at the start of next year.
Parise
Chicago will not make a very strong push to sign Zach Parise. They have way too many things to improve on to be focusing everything on the top free agent forward in a while. They might throw him an offer that will allow them to still have money to do other things, but unless Parise is really hung on playing in Chicago, the offer will no be very attractive for him. Sorry Hawk heads, he's not coming to Chi Town.
Suter
If you see Niklas Hjalmarsson moved, Suter could very possibly become a Hawk. Also, thanks to some insider information from Hockey Buzz, Chicago's geography makes it a very attractive option for Suter. The only thing is, the Blackhawks really need to keep more pucks out of the net, and Hjalmarsson is a solid defensive defenceman who blocks shots, kills penalties, and can shut down the oppositions top scorers. Suter is an offense-oriented defenceman, but can still play defense. In the end it is a
no-brainer to take Suter over Hjalmarsson, but it's up to Stan Bowman and David Poille to make it happen.
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