About a year ago, I reported a rumor that had the Hawks kicking the tires on Niclas Wallin, then of Carolina.

Subsequently, Wallin was shipped to San Jose. And the Hawks got their own version of Wallin, Kim Johnsson, from Minnesota.

Point being, sometimes signs and clues mean something's up. Just not exactly what's rumored.

I don't know (and I wouldn't bet actually) that Brent Seabrook is about to be shipped to Edmonton. But after talking to multiple sources last night and this morning, here's what I am hearing: this rumor isn't dying.

Not surprisingly, there's been a lot of argument back and forth about the sense of dealing Seabrook now, or at all.

I would remind everyone of the situation this past summer with Antti Niemi, an arbitration-eligible RFA (just like . . . Seabrook) whom the Hawks lost because they could not fit a qualifying offer under the 2010-11 cap commitment.

Fast forward to this summer, when the Hawks will have $40 million plus committed to 8 players (other than Seabrook), with Seabrook and Troy Brouwer to re-sign— and 13 other players to sign.

If the Hawks can't make a significant qualifying offer to Seabrook, the odds of an offer sheet being presented to him are very good.

San Jose offered Nik Hjalmarsson $3.75 million a year last summer. What do you think the Canucks—with $10-15 million coming off their books this summer— would offer hometown boy Seabrook?

Oh, the Hawks get a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick (assuming they can even actually qualify Seabrook at that level)? Well, that means those picks are going to be like 28th, 58th and 88th.

Meh.

This is why—I am hearing from a very good source— the Hawks might be working on a major deal involving the blueliner. They absolutely do not want to be in that position again.

Make no mistake, unless the cap goes up a fair amount, the Hawks' dollars will be tight. And no one can predict where the cap will be until this summer— at which point the Hawks might be stuck right where they were with Niemi. And Hjalmarsson. And Andrew Ladd for that matter.

And it's why, if that is the case, you can bet dollars to donuts, a deal is happening sooner rather than this summer.

Another take on this whole rumor is that the Hawks are merely playing hardball with Seabrook's agent in order to get an extension done now: "Sign here or start looking for a well-insulated condo in Nisku (suburb of Edmonton)."

Or both scenarios.

Either way, the rumor is alive, folks.


JJ

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