Inside the Blackhawks

TSN suggests that one reason the Blackhawks haven't announced the signings of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith to long contract extensions could be what the NHL calls ``tagging room.'' The seldom-used term is the available salary cap space for next season, which is difficult to determine. It's calculated by totaling the dollar values of the contracts that will expire at the end of the season plus available salary cap space now available. The Hawks apparently don't have much ``tagging room'' now and TSN predicts that one way to get more would be to move veteran defenseman Brent Sopel. He represents and $2.33 cap hit for the Hawk both this season and next, which is quite a bit for a depth defenseman. Sopel, out most of last season after elbow surgery, has played in 19 of this season's 20 games.

All those recent reports that Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith were about to get long-term contract extensions together hasn't materialized, and Kane called it ``just speculation and rumors'' when the Canadian media confronted him after Thursday's morning skate in Calgary. Don't get me wrong. I think all three will get long-term extensions eventually but they might not get them together. And, whenever they do sign, a prime topic of discussion will immediately be which players will stay with the Hawks next season and which ones won't. That salary cap's a tricky thing and working with it will take some time. In the meantime there'll be lots of Hawks in limbo as this most promising season reaches crunch time.

According to TSN Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will receive identical contract extensions -- five years at $6 million per season -- and Duncan Keith's money will be spread over 13 seasons. Keith's contract is certain to be investigated by the NHL, much like that of Marian Hossa's was, with critics believing it's an attempt to circumvent the league's salary cap. If those figures prove accurate the Hawks will have 15 players signed for next season at a salary cap hit of just over $60 million. This year's cap is only $56.8 million so there'll be some player movement, to be sure.

Dave Bolland's back surgery, which will sidelined the Blackhawks' second-line center for 12-16 weeks, won't bring new faces to the team's roster. At least not immediately, general manager Stan Bowman said. ``We've got to sort things out internally first,'' said Bowman, speaking several hours after Bolland's surgery from the NHL GM meetings in Toronto. ``We've got guys who deserve the chance to see how they can play before searching for someone else.''

Center Dave Bolland's lingering back problems are becoming increasingly a cause for worry. Last season he played through the problem, but this season a sore back kept him out of much of training camp. He'll missed his second regular season game on Friday at Colorado, meaning the Hawks will play the first-place team in the Western Conference without their top two centers. Jonathan Toews practiced for the third straight day during the morning skate and could return to the lineup next week when the Hawks play four home games prior to their traditional two-week trip when a circus takes over the United Center.

Jonathan Toews went through the morning skate with the Blackhawks on Thursday but won't be in the lineup against the Phoenix Coyotes. It was the second straight day on the ice for the team captain, who was off the ice for two weeks with concussion-like symptoms after taking a hit from Vancouver's Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21 at the United Center. He'll be re-evaluated on Friday morning to determine whether he can play in that night's game against the Avalanche in Colorado. The Phoenix game is the fifth straight that Toews has missed.

Another day has passed and Jonathan Toews still isn't on the ice with the Blackhawks. The team captain missed the last United Center workout before the first game in November -- on Thursday in Phoenix. The Hawks still are calling him day to day with his concussion-like symptoms. Meanwhile, suggestions of a suspension for Andrew Ladd for his hit on Montreal's Matt D'Agostini seem moot. General manager Stan Bowman still hasn't heard from the NHL on the matter, ``and we don't expect to,'' said Bowman. The Hawks have maintained that Ladd's hit was a clean one.

Ben Eager, who has been nursing concussion-like symptoms since Oct. 4, skated with the Blackhawks for a full practice on Sunday, though his status for game duty remained uncertain. Coach Joel Quenneville it'd be ``overly optimistic'' to expect Eager to be ready for the next game -- on Thursday at Phoenix. Jonathan Toews didn't practice, and he's been off the ice since taking a hard hit from Vancouver's Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21. Though some thing Andrew Ladd will be suspended for his hit on Montreal's Matt D'Agostini in Friday's game, neither Ladd nor coach Joel Quenneville had heard from the NHL office on that matter as of Sunday and both insisted Ladd's hit was a clean one.

The Blackhawks expect to regain defenseman Brent Seabrook for Thursday night's game at Nashville. He practiced on Wednesday, but center Jonathan Toews didn't. Both have battled concussions since last Wednesday's home game against Vancouver. Marian Hossa, meanwhile, went through his first full practice ever with the Hawks. He signed a 12-year $62.8 million contract on July 1 but then underwent shoulder surgery three weeks later. He had skated on his own for a week before joining his teammates. Hossa, however, won't be in the lineup for awhile. The target date for him to play his first game is Nov. 25 at San Jose. Hossa didn't travel with the team to Nashville. Toews didn't make the trip to Nashville, either, but coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't rule him out of Friday's home game against Montreal.

Blackhawks' coach Joel Quenneville continues to call Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook ``day to day'' as they nurse apparent concussion symptoms. Their time off the ice has gotten more than day to day, though. Both were ruled out of Monday's game with Minnesota, and neither has been on the ice since their injuries occurred last Wednesday against Vancouver. With the Hawks planning to take Tuesday off, the next possible day for their return is a Wednesday practice prior to the flight to Nashville. The two may not even go on that trip. ``We'll have a better idea Wednesday. We'd like to have them on the ice before we play them,'' Quenneville said.