Mark Lazerus
Chicago Blackhawks reporter
Mark Lazerus is a former Chicago Blackhawks reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Blackhawks cleared out some of their goaltending depth Wednesday to get ready for free agency.
A qualifying offer would have cost the Hawks about $1.5 million, and there apparently wasn’t room for him at that price.
The Hawks also need a contingency plan at goaltender, another scorer, and maybe a taker for Marian Hossa’s contract.
Minor-league deal swaps borderline NHL centers; Kero had fallen down the organizational depth chart in the past year.
Stan Bowman won’t say if the Blackhawks are in on the John Tavares sweepstakes, but he needs to shake up the roster and soon.
The Blackhawks took Jake Wise at No. 69, then traded up to take diminutive sniper Niklas Nordgren at No. 74.
For the second consecutive year, the Hawks’ first four selections were 5-11 or shorter as the league trends toward skill over physical play.
Hawks choose 17-year-old blue-liner over fellow defensemen Noah Dobson and Evan Bouchard and sniper Oliver Wahlstrom.
Blackhawks are hoping to add a top-four defenseman and a goaltender; Quenneville expects Corey Crawford to be ready for training camp.