Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman talked about the progress of some prospects during this weeks camp, how Brandon Saad has great potential this season, how Adam Clendening is among the top young defensemen in the system and how Teuvo Teravainen is going to be a special player.
But along the trade front, the talk has diminished.
It was a quiet week around the NHL in terms of trades. And while Bowman said that theres still talk going on, its not as frantic as 10 days ago.
Weve had discussions but a lot of teams are doing camps like we are. Teams across the league are focusing on this, Bowman said as the Blackhawks camp wrapped up on Friday. This is an important event for us and were dedicating a lot of time on it. There are still discussions, but its not like it was probably 10 days ago.
So now with camps ending, the talk will probably pick up again. There are still a few players who could be on the move this summer, from free agents like Shane Doan to those currently with contracts like Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan and Roberto Luongo. The Blackhawks are one of several teams who are interested in Doan, who could still re-sign with the Phoenix Coyotes if their ownership situation gets more settled.
Bowman said the Blackhawks have inquired about several players.
Weve talked to a number of players and were going to continue to do that. Any time we can improve our team, were going to look at it, be it free agency or trade, he said. But weve got a lot of good players here. Some of the kids may be ready to take the next step. Im not saying were not going to do anything else, but we do have a good group here.
Bowman reiterated the need to draft and develop well, and that helped the Blackhawks last season when they got key contributions from recent draftees such as Saad and Andrew Shaw. Saad, who played some center during Fridays scrimmage, is expected to push for a spot on the roster this fall. Shaw is expected to play a bigger role. Clendening, Bowman said, is probably the one (prospect) defenseman who has the most potential to make a jump. Its good for him to look at this year as a learning year, but also one he can make an impact for us.
Will the Blackhawks add anyone else this summer? Talk was quiet this week. But theres a lot of summer left. And with camps finishing, there should be more talking again.
Were in a good position, relative to some teams, he said. Weve got a good group of players, some of them already under contract and some of them are young and you can push them down if you have to. Its going to be a competitive camp even right now, without adding new players.