Hawks trying to keep Havlat

Martin Havlat’s ability to stay injury-free this season has been a big factor in the Blackhawks’ success. It also could keep the winger in a Hawks uniform next season and beyond. Havlat, who missed 73 games with injuries during his first two campaigns with the Hawks, has played in all 52 games this season as one of the team’s most consistent forwards.

The veteran is the Hawks’ second-leading scorer with 17 goals and 25 assists and is a plus-11. Those offensive numbers and Havlat’s play in the defensive zone have him back in the mix for the Hawks’ future. That didn’t seem likely in October, when the 27-year-old began the final season of a contract that pays him $6 million annually.But general manager Dale Tallon has begun early discussions with Havlat’s agent, Allan Walsh, regarding a new contract.

“He wants to stay, and we want him to,” Tallon said. “We just wanted to be careful and be sure [he was healthy]. The only thing that has held him back is the injuries. He’s getting better and better with each game. We’re excited about having him, and we’d like to keep him. “Yeah,” Havlat said. “The guys are great. We’re one of the youngest teams in the league, and there are guys who are only going to get better and better.”We still have 30 games left in the regular season. My goal is to play in the playoffs this year.”

Desire on both sides to re-sign Havlat isn’t enough to make it happen. Figuring out how to make a new deal happen financially will take some doing. The Hawks can’t afford to lock up too much money with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith all becoming restricted free agents after next season.”We want to make sure it makes sense,” Tallon said. “We’re not sure what [Kane and Toews] are going to cost in two years and what the [salary] cap is going to be in two years. We have to be creative if we do something.”

Chris Kuc- Chicago Tribune

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