Hawks in the market for game changer?

Chicago Blackhawks GM Thomas Gidlow is not one to generally be vague when asked about rumors. But when he was approached earlier this evening after leaving a downtown Chicago bar, he offered a brief snippet about a potential deal in the works.

"We've been having some good talks with a lot of GM's in the EHE," mentioned Gidlow. "We've got some things in the works that ought to raise some eyebrows. That's all I can really say right now."

He then asked to go off the record, and told me about one of the deals in particular. Since he comes into the GM position with some respect having been a GM on and off for 15 years, this reporter has no qualms about giving him that journalistic courtesy.

But what can be reported is that the city of Chicago hasn't seen a star like this in hockey circles for some time. This would be a face for the franchise moving forward from a miserable season and a horrendous beginning to the offseason thanks to the previous management's well-documented Expansion Draft blunders.

The Blackhawks have many holes in their lineup. One player won't fill them all. But the impact of a move like this - should it come to fruition - will have a lasting effect on the franchise for the next decade.

When pressed to answer just one more question, Gidlow offered this quip.

"There's a time and a place for everything. Right now I'm going to try to find Chicago's best chicken wings. Know a place?"

I gave him the location of my favorite spot. Least I could do for the new GM of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chip Whitley, Beat Reporter
Chicago Tribune