NHL Trade Rumors: Blackhawks Must Do Whatever It Takes to Acquire Tim Thomas

When the Boston Bruins went to visit the White House on January 23rd to celebrate their Stanley Cup win from last season, goalie Tim Thomas decided that he would not partake in the events. The situation has caused quite an uproar, and if Thomas hits the market, the Chicago Blackhawks must jump on the opportunity to pick him up.

His absence has caused quite a situation, and there could be a chance that he may no longer be with the team for much longer.

According to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, there have been rumblings that "had the Bruins dishing Tim Thomas to Chicago."

According to the source, the Blackhawks were to give Viktor Stalberg in return.

Thomas is regarded as one of the best goalies in the NHL, and right now the Blackhawks are really in need for a quality goaltender.

It would be hard to imagine the Bruins moving on from their star goalie with the team standing at 32-14-2 while atop the Northeast Division. If things aren't so smooth, this could be something that could potentially happen.

The Blackhawks better hope so, as Corey Crawford, their primary goalie, is just struggling to stop the opposition.

With Crawford in the goal, the Hawks have a record of 18-12. He has dropped his last three games, allowing a total of nine goals.

He hasn't even been able to keep the other team from scoring once this entire season. That just isn't acceptable, and the Hawks will continue to fall in the rankings if they don't get a legitimate goaltender for the second half of the season.

It will remain to be seen if Thomas will be dealt, but the Hawks must get on that if he does hit the trading block.

There is just no way that they can let a chance like that slip away. This team was on top of the standings, and they can at least get near the top again and make a solid playoff run with a veteran goalie who could help them.

While the Hawks obviously wouldn't give away star players liker Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane, they shouldn't be resistant on many other people if the opportunity arises.

However, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said in an email to TSN's Pierre LeBrun that he is not trading Thomas.

That will remain to be seen, but with all the talk, there is no guarantee that the Bruins are really thinking about holding onto him.

The Blackhawks need to find something to get them going in the right direction, so hopefully a gift like Thomas can fall into their laps.