Chicago Blackhawks: Shooting Down Trade Rumors Before They Get Legs

Sitting at the 11 seed in the Western Conference, with 28 regular season games to go, has many Blackhawk fans starting to hyperventilate. How could the team that never seemed to get cold last season for more than two, three or four games at most turn around and, for the most part, have a giant iceberg of a season?

Maybe the answers to that question will reveal itself as this hockey team fades into the proverbial "Stanley Cup Hangover" club.

Maybe this ship can be routed in time to make a run into the playoffs, where any team can catch fire. In either instance, cooler heads must prevail, and as fans, the games need to be taken one game at a time.

Simply put, the Blackhawks are a strong week and half of games away from being in the running for the five seed in the West, and everyone will be back on the bandwagon in time for the playoffs.

The only team ahead of the Blackhawks all the way to the seven seed at this point, that in my summation is a dangerous hockey team, are the Kings when they are running on all cylinders, but we'll see how it shakes out.

So as some are losing their cool, there are those that have already been fluttering rumors out about trades that the Blackhawks could/should make. Most of it is hot garbage upon looking at it, but let's look at some of the things that have been spinning around radio and internet boards.

One fantasy hockey idea was floated about Patrick Kane being sent back home to Buffalo along with Marty Turco for prolific netminder Ryan Miller. I'm not going to say much about this, but why on earth would the Blackhawks give up Kane at his age and with his marketability?

On the same token is Buffalo with Miller. Simply put, franchise players or players that are close to that status very, very rarely get dealt for one another in the prime of their careers. Let me never hear of this rumor again.

Another one is that Brent Seabrook is on his way up to Edmonton to join... Well whatever it is that is they're trying to do up there. If you are the Blackhawks, the only way you trade Seabrook to the Oilers is if they give you Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and they surrender one of their titles from the 80s and proclaim the Blackhawks the Cup winners of that year. Brent Seabrook is staying and will get a contract. This is what Stan Bowman had to say about Seabrook, "

"We are obviously pursuing a contract with Brent."

"He obviously wants to stay. We certainly want to keep."

"He's going to be a member of our organization. It's just trying to find out what the number is and then how many years it is for."

"It's been a positive discussion so far with his agent."

I think its safe to say No. 7 will be wearing a Hawks' jersey for years to come.

Any other deal at this point is purely speculation. No one knew that Stan Bowman and his former boss Dale Tallon were cooking something up when former first-round pick Jake Skille was shipped off to Fort Lauderdale.

So for those in the coming weeks that are going to say Marty Turco is going to the Lightning for Steven Stamkos or Brian Campbell is going to the Thrashers for Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, John Torchetti and Brent Sopel: You will not fool me.