The NHL Trade Deadline is this Monday, Feb. 28, and the Chicago Blackhawks have made a move. Well, sort of. Defenseman Nick Boynton has reportedly been placed on waivers. That means other NHL teams have 48 hours to put a claim on the 32-year-old, 11-season vet. After that period, the Blackhawks may send him to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.
↵For starters, I'd like to take full credit for this move. That's right -- I named Boynton one of Chicago's Top Five Most Maligned Athletes a couple of weeks back and, clearly, team GM Stan Bowman got the message. In lieu of cash gratuities, I ask that you submit a donations to the charity of your choice. (On second thought, maybe I'll set up a PayPal account for those cash gratuities after all. This winter has been murder on my heating bill. Stay tuned.)
↵But, seriously, folks ... this could mean something and it could mean nothing. It does potentially free up some salary cap space for the defensive upgrade that Bowman has reportedly been seeking. But the story has an odd twist in that Boynton is also known to have an upper-body injury. Why do this and not place him on IR? Was the injury real to begin with? Time will tell whether there's more here than meets the eye.
↵In a related item, Boynton will have a travel partner in fellow defenseman Nick Leddy. He has also reportedly been sent down to the IceHogs.