Cristobal Huet Trade Rumors: Intrigue Building

On Thursday morning , HockeyBuzz's John Jaeckel (a friend of CommittedIndians and someone we actually respect in the world of rumor filtering) is reporting a new twist to the Huet rumors.

"It (supposedly) involves an Eastern Conference Team (NOT the Islanders, as I had previously theorized), with Huet, Crawford, and a Blackhawk forward going in return for a No. 1 goalie and a defenseman ," says Jaeckel. "The Blackhawk forward is a good player that other teams covet, hence why this deal makes sense for both clubs...At least one of the players involved is presently playing in the Olympics ."

The most obvious guess here is that there was some substance to the Tim Thomas rumors with Boston, but the other thought would be Jaroslav Halak in Montreal. I'm not sure either qualifies as a No. 1 goalie because of the rotations on their respective teams, but they would certainly become the top netminder heading into April for the Hawks.

The other Olympic netminder that would, more than Thomas or Halak, be worth the ransom apparently moving would be Tomas Vokoun in Florida. Vokoun's salary cap number, though, makes his on-ice improvement somewhat offset by the minimal financial improvement next year for the Hawks.

The coveted forward could be Kris Versteeg (who's minutes were limited despite the absense of Marian Hossa over the weekend), Dustin Byfuglien, or Patrick Sharp. Jaeckel does say this "would be a good deal for the Hawks."

There are still ten days until teams can formally announce trades because of the Olympics, but Jaeckel reports that this deal might have been agreed upon over the weekend and will be announced on March 1 when the roster freeze is lifted.

We'll keep digging...

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