from Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times,

For months, Bowman has said he didn’t want to move any roster players, that he didn’t want to make a money-for-money trade, that he was going to be relatively quiet at the trade deadline.

Then Patrick Kane was injured. Now all bets are off, and all phone lines are open. It’s no longer a matter of if the Hawks will make a trade. It’s when. And how many.

“We’re getting pretty close,” a confident and unusually direct Bowman said. “But until it’s done, it’s not done.”

With Kane out, Bowman said he’s exploring all options. That means current roster players could be moved, not just picks and prospects. That means the Hawks will consider acquiring players that aren’t on expiring contracts. That means getting a forward or a defenseman, or both.

A source said the Hawks are particularly interested in Arizona forward Antoine Vermette and Columbus forward Cam Atkinson, both of whom are on expiring contracts. Edmonton defenseman Jeff Petry is another possibility. But Kane’s injury has opened roughly $6 million of salary cap relief, and also has opened the door to a more dramatic overhaul in anticipation of this summer’s looming cap crunch.

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