The Blackhawks were comfortable trading Kahun because they have good forward depth, especially at wing. Bowman said he liked the progress of forward
Dylan Sikura
last season, and expects Sikura, as well as forwards
Dominik Kubalik
and Anton Wedin, to earn spots in the Blackhawks lineup. Kubalik, who signed a one-year, $925,000 contract with the Blackhawks on May 29, had 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 10 games for the Czech Republic in the IIHF World Championship. Wedin signed a one-year, $925,000 contract with the Blackhawks on May 23 after he had 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) in 32 games for Timra of the Swedish Hockey League.
The trade for Maatta was the first move, but it looks like it's going to be a busy couple of weeks for the Blackhawks.
"We expect to be active," Bowman said. "This is the time of year when there's a lot of player movement, with the draft and then July 1 (free agency) on the horizon. So I think we're going to continue to look at other ways to improve our team through trades, and if none of that comes to be, we'll look at the free agent market."