Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said over the weekend that he wasn't looking to make any big moves before the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday, but on Tuesday he made another interesting acquisition, getting defensemen David Rundblad and Mathieu Brisebois from the Phoeix Coyotes in exchange for a second round draft pick.
Rundblad, a 23-year-old player out of Sweden, has appeared in 50 career NHL games, and was a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
The Hawks will have Rundblad report to their NHL roster, with Brisebois heading down to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.
There is plenty of speculation that the move could be a precursor to another deal, as Bowman said that the team wasn't interested in carrying eight defensemen on their roster. The move could be something as simple as putting Marian Hossa on injured reserve with an upper body injury, but it could also mean that the team could be looking at dealing Nick Leddy or Johnny Oduya as part of a bigger deal to acquire help, likely on the offensive side of the ice.
The NHL trade deadline is Wednesday at 2 p.m.
