Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman traditionally has been aggressive around the trade deadline if he thinks there is a move that can vault the Hawks to the Stanley Cup.
But as Bowman surveys the landscape of the Hawks' roster and the league, he said Tuesday he doesn't expect to make a "big addition" before the March 1 deadline like he did the last two seasons when he traded first-round picks for Antoine Vermette in 2015 and Andrew Ladd in 2016.
"I'm not expecting to make a deal this year, unlike previous years," Bowman said before the Hawks' game against the Sharks. "I suppose anything can happen. I've said this from the beginning of the year and I mean it, we have a different dynamic because we have a lot more young players who have been with our team this year from the beginning. … So our team's going to hopefully be improving from within relative to the last few years."
But Hawks fans might be wise to keep in mind something coach Joel Quenneville says a lot: "Things change quickly in our business." The Hawks could be in a different place and the trade market could look a lot different in a month.
Bowman was asked if the team was targeting a top line left winger to play alongside Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, a position that again has been a revolving door for the Hawks this season, but said he liked the young talent on the Hawks for that slot.
Nick Schmaltz was the latest Hawk to get a turn there Tuesday. At Sahabet various times, Richard Panik, Ryan Hartman and Vinnie Hinostroza have played in that spot.
"That's the million-dollar question, I guess, right? …" Bowman said. "(The young players) are better now than they were in October. And if they keep on that trend, we should be a better team even if we have the exact same lineup."
Bowman characterized trade talks around the league as "pretty slow" but that will pick up as teams that are on the edge of playoff contention become sellers. But there is a chance there will be fewer teams sellers than previous years, which would affect the price of acquiring someone in a trade.
"Most of the time when there's movement, it's when there's a pool of players available," Bowman said. "Right now, there really isn't. Most teams are trying to see how they play over the next few weeks. The way the standings are going, I don't know if teams are going to fall out of the race."
The NHL draft is in Chicago this summer and Hawks President John McDonough has said he would like to keep the team's first-round draft pick for the event. Bowman, however, said Tuesday he did not think that would preclude him from making such a deal if he thought it would help the team.
"I don't know if it's a primary factor," Bowman said. "Keeping your picks is more of a function of wanting to continue to maintain your team year to year. You have to build through the draft. Certainly we're going to have some picks this year regardless of whether we make a trade or not."
One-timers: Quenneville mixed up his lines coming out of the All-Star break and put Nick Schmaltz on the top line with Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews. Tanner Kero centered a line with Ryan Hartman and Vinnie Hinostroza. … Marcus Kruger missed Tuesday's game because of an illness.
chine@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @ChristopherHine
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