As other trade discussions heat up, Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford situation remains most pressing

Five days away from the draft and eight days away from the start of free agency, the NHL’s offseason madness is tardy but finally imminent.

That means it’s almost Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman’s favorite time of the year.

‘‘We have the draft preparations, which is the big event next week, but there’s also a lot of other things happening,’’ Bowman said Wednesday. ‘‘I’ve been on the phone quite a bit, and you hear some interesting ideas.

‘‘I would say probably 90% of what you talk about — more than that — never comes true, but it’s our job to dialogue it with other managers. It’s a fun time to be working. There’s a lot of energy, a lot of excitement.’’

The most obvious item on Bowman’s to-do list is to make the No. 17 overall pick, one of four selections the Hawks have among the first 81 in the draft and one of seven they have overall.

But Bowman is quick to note his job ‘‘is to be planning on several different fronts,’’ and the Hawks’ most pressing issue isn’t the No. 17 pick.

It’s the status of veteran goalie Corey Crawford, who can become an unrestricted free agent Oct. 9. Although the Hawks theoretically could re-sign him after that date, their best bet is to get a deal ironed out beforehand.

All accounts indicate the sides — the Hawks and Crawford’s camp, including agent Gilles Lupien — remain significantly divided in their salary demands.

In his end-of-season interview in August, Crawford said guaranteed playing time would be a higher priority for him than salary, and it sounds as though he’s willing to take at least some reduction on his previous $6 million cap hit.

But while the Hawks are eyeing a salary in the $3.5 million to $4 million range, Crawford seems to be thinking more in the $4.5 million to $5.5 million range.

Bowman said he remained ‘‘optimistic’’ about re-signing Crawford but otherwise offered little insight.

‘‘In every situation, I’m always looking on the bright side,’’ Bowman said. ‘‘But until something comes to completion, I just don’t know. We still have time on our side here, and that’s what we’re working through. We’re realistic that it’s a possibility [he will become an unrestricted free agent], but that’s not what we’re focused on.’’

The goalie market leaguewide is complicated, with a number of big-name stars beyond Crawford — Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner, Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin — also staring at free agency. The Rangers added an extra name to the list by buying out Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday.

Whether the Hawks re-sign Crawford, sign another unrestricted free agent or go cheap with some combination of Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen will have major repercussions on Bowman’s activity in other areas, too.

Bowman specifically mentioned the Hawks’ surplus of defensemen — some of whom will become expendable if/when prospects Ian Mitchell, Lucas Carlsson, Wyatt Kalynuk and Dennis Gilbert win NHL jobs — as one area in which the team could recoup value and create more cap room.

‘‘It’s always better when you’re trying to push one of those younger players into the lineup; that means you can move an established player,’’ Bowman said. ‘‘Because around the league, there are always teams looking for established NHL defensemen. If we get to that point, we’re dealing from a good position.’’

Olli Maatta long has been considered a prime buyout candidate — the deadline for that is next Thursday — but the Hawks would prefer to trade him.

The Hawks likely would love to move Brent Seabrook, but they would be hard-pressed to find a suitor. They would hate to move Connor Murphy but easily would find suitors. Calvin de Haan might be a nice middle ground between the two.

Like the draft, however, trading a defenseman pales by comparison to the Crawford situation.