Not only does Nikolai Khabibulin have a big paycheque this season, his price tag has gone up significantly.
The Blackhawks goalie, who's making $6.75 million (all terms US) this season, could have been picked up off waivers for virtually nothing last month.
Not anymore.
Talk among NHL executives is Chicago GM Dale Tallon will no longer just "give the veteran goaltender away."
Instead, Tallon and the 'Hawks, who have been impressed with Khabibulin's play, might want a warm body or draft pick in return. Khabibulin's value is also soaring because several teams could be looking for goaltending help, including the Senators.
The Hawks signed Cristobal Huet to a four-year, $22.4-million deal to be their No. 1 goalie, but he's not living up to high expectations with a 1-1-1 record, 2.61 GAA and .907 save percentage. Khabibulin, meanwhile, is 2-1-1, with a 1.97 GAA and .931 save percentage.
With those numbers, the 'Hawks will have to get something decent in return to justify a trade to their fans.
The talk of Khabibulin coming to Ottawa is only going to get louder. 'Hawks assistant GM Rick Dudley was at Scotiabank Place last night, checking out the Ducks game. It should be noted, however, that Dudley is one of the most active scouts in the NHL.
"Khabibulin is a hot commodity," said a league executive.
"They couldn't give him away a month ago and now they can actually demand something in return. They don't even know if Huet can get the job done."
While the word is Senators GM Bryan Murray hasn't thrown in the towel on Martin Gerber as a No. 1 goalie, the whisper among NHL executives is that Ottawa is looking for help in net.
With Khabibulin's price on the rise, the Senators may have to be content with what they have -- and hope Gerber gets back on track or Alex Auld takes the reins.
The knock on Gerber is that he has a hard time handling the pressure of competing for the No. 1 job.
Craig Hartsburg hasn't "sensed" that. Even so, that kind of pressure is "healthy," the Senators coach said.
"There has to be -- amongst your whole team -- some kind of competition to keep your team healthy, whether it's the goaltender or even in your lineup. That being said, you don't want a lot of extra players.
"If a guy isn't playing well, then he should move down. I know the goaltenders work together and it's important that they are a team together. Within that team, there has to be a little bit of that peer pressure and a little bit of that challenge that, 'You know what, I'm going in there tonight and I'm going to prove that I can play.' "
Hartsburg said being able to handle the mental challenge is part of the game.
"We're trying to change a mindset that has maybe dragged this thing down in the past," said Hartsburg. "You're going to be challenged by the other team every night and if you can't play your best and it's a mental toughness, you've got to deal with that. If you can't do that, you will struggle."
OFF THE GLASS
Asked about facing the Leafs in the Battle of Ontario, Hartsburg had a good chuckle. "We'll worry about that one (today) because we've got a pretty good battle going on here (last night)," said Hartsburg ... Two of the Senators' games next week -- Monday in Buffalo and Wednesday at Florida -- will be shown locally to NHL Network subscribers ... Murray told TSN after the GMs' meetings in Chicago that the Senators' interest in Mats Sundin is genuine.
