Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had “no sense of urgency” to move Patrick Sharp or anyone else during the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, Fla., according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. That became apparent as the team opted not to make any trades during the two-day event despite looming cap issues.
Bowman says he’s not close to making any trades, even though the team needs to move players to make cap space, and Sharp, Bryan Bickell and possibly Kris Versteeg could be gone before the beginning of next season. The lack of movement Saturday brought back memories of the team’s decision to wait out last summer before trading Nick Leddy to the Islanders, a deal that yielded young defenseman Ville Pokka and goaltender Anders Nilsson, who played with Ak Bars of the KHL last season.
Sharp is considered one of the top players available on the trade market even with a $5.9 million annual cap hit, which is the big reason why the Hawks want to move him in the first place. Chicago can no longer afford to pay the winger that kind of money, but with a weak free agent market, Sharp can offer value to other teams.
The Stars were removed from the sweepstakes Friday after a report from Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning-News, but it’s possible teams like the Bruins have joined the chase after active draft days. Other reported suitors for Sharp include Washington, Montreal, Florida and Detroit.
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