The Blackhawks are in a bit of a cap crunch, which is probably an easier pill to swallow after several Stanley Cups.
One of the players rumoured to be on the move is none other than Patrick Sharp. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times has reported that there are several teams that have expressed interest in the forward, including the Montreal Canadiens.
Patrick Sharp, an alternate captain, a three-time champion and a star member of the Hawks’ vaunted core, is the biggest name on the trading block. Multiple sources say that at least eight teams have expressed legitimate interest in Sharp, including the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers. Talks are still in the preliminary stages, as Bowman tries to feel out the market.
As Lazerus has noted, a deal isn’t remotely close to being done, however it’s encouraging to see Marc Bergevin perform due diligence when it comes to solving Montreal’s scoring woes. Of course, with Sharp’s $5.9M cap hit the Habs would have to shed a significant amount of salary to make the trade. As it stands, Montreal only has $4.925M in cap space heading into next season, and that’s without signing Alex Galchenyuk.
