LAS VEGAS -- Blackhawks general manger Stan Bowman shed some light on the circumstances that led to the recent release of goalie prospect Alexander Salak from his contract.

When forming his roster for the 2012-13 season, general manager Stan Bowman said he would look internally first and go from there.

In other words, it appears Bowman and Co. remain confident in the abilities of forwards Ben Smith and Brandon Bollig after the team announced Monday they were signed to new two-year deals. The Hawks also signed goalie Carter Hutton to a one-year, two-way contract.

The same can't be said about goalie Alexander Salak, though. Salak was released Monday after being placed on waivers and going unclaimed.

By Ben Meyer-Abbott
bmeyer-abbott@suntimes.com
Twitter: @BMACST

Less than two months after Stan Bowman made a point of praising the man who passed him on the depth chart, the Blackhawks reportedly are set to cut ties with minor-league goalie Alexander Salak.

The CBC reported Friday the Hawks have placed Salak on waivers.

With the competition for the backup goalie spot nearing an end, rookie Alexander Salak said he's happy with how he's performed this preseason, which is good because it looks like he's only going to be facing teammates for the time being.

With goalie Corey Crawford having a new three-year, $8 million deal in hand, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said one of his objectives was to bring goalie prospect Alexander Salak in from Europe.

"We're working on that," Bowman said of Salak's status Thursday after the team announced it had signed Crawford. "Alex is going to be a guy who is going to be in North America next year. We're still working those things."

Apparently, he's done.