It isn’t often that NHL general managers speak in absolutes, but when they do, it makes sense to pay attention to what they’re saying.
In the case of Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman on Saturday, he made one such proclamation that should give fans of the team some hope moving forward:
Stan Bowman says Brandon Saad and Teuvo Teravainen are not available for trades. #Blackhawks — Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) June 28, 2014
With so many rumors swirling around the Blackhawks after it was revealed that they would have to shed some salary in order to get under the NHL’s salary cap, it’s encouraging for fans to hear that Brandon Saad and Teuvo Teravainen won’t be going anywhere. Both players have the potential to be top-six studs for many years to come, with Saad’s willingness to play hard at both ends of the ice and Teravainen’s ridiculous quickness and scoring ability both proving to be attractive assets for the Hawks.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Teravainen will start the season with the Hawks next year, but with Brandon Bollig’s departure, there is a potential opening for the youngster to jump up to the big league roster on a full-time basis. Odds are that a player like Jeremy Morin will be asked to fill in on the fourth line, and that could mean Bryan Bickell will slot in on the third line. That would open up a winger or center spot for Teravainen to grab in the top six, and the thought of him skating between Saad and Patrick Kane is enough to get Hawks fans dancing in the streets.
We are a long way from finding out what head coach Joel Quenneville is thinking of doing with Teravainen, but one thing is for certain: whatever the youngster ends up doing, it will be in a Blackhawks sweater.
