TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has been careful answering questions about his defensemen for the upcoming season.
While Bowman has spoken glowingly about his six likely NHL defensemen in Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Michal Kempny, Bowman has made sure not to vocally extinguish the NHL hopes of any of his younger defensemen to begin the season. Bowman understands it’s best not to close that door and extinguish their motivation before training camp even begins.
But what if one of the Blackhawks’ defenseman prospects outplays one of those six players already assumed to have an NHL roster spot?