DALLAS — If general manager Stan Bowman has his way, newcomer Michael Frolik won’t be the only addition to the Blackhawks for the stretch run of the regular season.
Bowman said Friday he’s working the phones in an effort to bolster the blue line after landing forward Frolik in a trade with the Panthers on Wednesday night.
“We’re trying to find a defenseman who can be a penalty-killing type, eat up some minutes on the PK,” Bowman said. “Right now, we’re using our top guys a lot. It’s not easy right now — I think a lot of teams are looking for similar kinds of players and there are not a lot yet who are available.”
The trade deadline isn’t until Feb. 28, but Bowman said he would pull the trigger quickly if the right deal came along.
“Some teams are going to try to hold their guys until close to the deadline,” Bowman said. “We don’t necessarily want to wait that long. If we find a guy we’re comfortable with we’ll make it work but there’s nothing imminent.”
Staying put: Bowman shot down any speculation defenseman Brent Seabrook, who will be a restricted free agent after the season, would be part of a trade.
“We’re trying to sign Seabrook,” Bowman said. “It’s going along amicably. These things take time and hopefully it will get done.”
Said Seabrook: “I’ve been around this game long enough now and realize it’s a business. It’s one of those things we’ll have to wait and see.”
New guy: Frolik made his Hawks debut playing on a line with fellow winger Troy Brouwer and center Tomas Kopecky. Following the deal, Bowman said he envisioned Frolik playing any of the forward positions.
“The last few years I played the wing … right and left,” said Frolik, who had eight goals with the Panthers. “It has been a while since I’ve played center — it was like six or seven years ago. I prefer to be a wing.”
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