Versteeg on board, now what...

The Hawks seemingly have put an end to the whole RFA controversy with the signing of winger Kris Versteeg today and I, for one, am glad to hear it.

Versteeg is a talented young player who brings plenty of jump every night. He had a great year and is a critical part of a talented young squad which is clearly on the rise.

So now the question is: What do the Hawks do going forward?

With all of their own free agents signed, the Hawks have managed to keep the nucleus of the club together. They've also added some skill and depth with signings of Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, and John Madden.

Making another deep run into the NHL's second season however, could prove difficult without a top flight goaltender and I'm not sure Cristobal Huet is the guy to take them to the promised land.

So what do they do now? Good question. Signing a goalie doesn't seem to be an option because of the Hawks current cap situation and their doesn't appear to be a game-changing netminder available anyway.

So what about a trade? Possible, although shipping Huet out of town may not be so easy because of his contract. The Hawks overpaid for him and finding another team to take on his albatross contract won't be easy. Even if they could find a suitor for his services, they would most likely have to give up an asset and take some salary coming back. This may provide some cap relief, but you still have the same problem: Who plays goal?

We haven't seen enough of Corey Crawford or Antti Niemi to annoint either of them as the next big thing. Thats not to say that these kids won't develop into fine NHL goalies, they just don't seem to be ready yet. Who knows? Maybe one of these kids becomes the next Steve Mason.

Starting the season with Huet as the starter seems to be the most likely scenario, with one of the youngsters pushing him for playing time. Barring some sort of deal that is.

I'd like to see the Hawks make a move for a kid like Cory Schneider, a highly touted Canucks prospect. With Vancouver talking about a contract extension for Roberto Luongo and the signing of Andrew Raycroft as the backup, it looks like it might be a long shot for Schneider to crack the roster. I've already heard one prognosticator say he'll be in the AHL again next year. Sooner or later, this kid needs a shot and with Luongo in the fold, it probably won't happen in Vancouver.

A move for a guy like Schneider would no doubt cost the Hawks a prospect, but he might be worth it. If he develops as projected, he'd be a steal at just over a $1m cap hit and if he flops well at least he wouldn't cost much. Either way, he would be worth the risk.