Blackhawks fans woke up Tuesday with visions of a former Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP dancing in their heads. By the end of the day, they found themselves settling for........the immortal Andrew Ladd! Ta da!
Much of the rumbling prior to Tuesday's 2 p.m. trade deadline centered around Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon making a strong push for Tampa Bay center Brad Richards.
Richards, hockey fans will recall, led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004 by posting 12 goals and 14 assists in 23 playoff games. He has 18 goals and 33 assists in 62 games this season, and he would have been a great acquisition. The Hawks have been a feast-or-famine team offensively, and this is a player who would have provided needed consistency and bolstered the power play.
Instead, Richards exercised a no-trade clause and nixed a deal to the Hawks. He instead accepted a trade to the Dallas Stars, a veteran team in position to make a serious run at the Cup this year.
"It was a no-trade thing and he (Richards) made up his mind he wanted to go to a team that had a shot at the Stanley Cup," Tallon said. "He wanted immediate results, not a lateral move, and to get right in the action."
I can't blame Richards for that. But it is a slap in the face for the Blackhawks. While they've made significant strides since last year, they've yet to become a "destination" for top players.
And speaking of lateral moves, the Hawks swapped disappointing forwards with Carolina, sending Tuomo Ruutu to the Hurricanes for Ladd. I'm not real sure what the point of this trade would be.
Ruutu and Ladd make about the same amount of money, so it isn't a financial decision. Ladd, a first-round draft pick in 2004, has only nine goals this season. Ruutu, a first-round choice in 2001, has just six goals in 60 games this year. It has been 32 games since he last scored.
Oh, well. Maybe a change of scenery will help both players.
The Hawks also dumped Martin Lapointe, a healthy scratch the last two games, off on the Ottawa Senators for a sixth-round pick. Lapointe has only three goals and four assists this year, and he is well past his prime. He won't be missed.
Still, the moral of the story is the Blackhawks didn't get any better Tuesday. That's a shame. Call it an opportunity missed.
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