5 Blackhawks Players Who Could Be Moved At The Trade Deadline

5) A Goalie

I was considering putting Alec Martinez here, but that was so obvious that I decided to go in a more interesting direction.

Here is the situation: The Blackhawks (theoretically) have three good goaltenders. Now, is that a problem? No!

It is better to have good goalies than bad goalies.

However, it is very difficult at the NHL level to carry three goalies. It makes calling up a forward or defenseman in the case of an injury harder, and it makes your goaltending rotation bizarre. Most teams choose to carry two and the Hawks thought that was what they would do this season as well.

The plan was for Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit to carry this team in net this season while Arvid Soderblom, (written off by many if not all Hawks fans) would split time with Drew Commesso in Rockford.

After the season, Soderblom's contract would be up, and Mrazek and Brossoit each had another year left on their deals.

You let Soderblom walk, and next year you run it back with Brossoit and Mrazek. Easy right? Wrong.

Brossoit may not even exist (I've never seen him, have you?), and Soderblom has been excellent with the Blackhawks this year. To complicate matters further, Mrazek is now dealing with another groin injury. This is a problem that has plagued him throughout his career.

It may be the case that Soderblom is now the Hawks' most valuable goaltender. With future starters Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan developing, the Hawks may have to consider moving one of the three goaltenders that they have at this year's deadline.

But which one do you move?

Well, believe it or not, you would probably get the most return for moving Soderblom. He is just 25 years old and has a tiny salary cap hit.

Many teams would kill to have him these days. Mrazek would have the next most value, but with injury concerns and another year left at $4.5 million after this season, I'm not sure many teams will want him.

The same goes for Brossoit. This injury of his has been so confounding that it is hard to know exactly what his value is. he has been an exceptional backup goalie when he's been healthy, but after this season that is no longer a certainty.

If Brossoit comes back and plays really well, I could see him being moved at the deadline. Contending teams really covet depth at the goaltending position and if Brossoit can prove that he is the goalie everyone thought he was when he signed here, then he could be a big asset at the deadline.