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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stan Bowman is figuring out what former Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli learned the hard way last summer.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Clearing cap space is hard to do.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bowman\u2019s Blackhawks currently sit roughly $718,000 over the cap, according to General Fanager. That\u2019s not a problem today. Teams can carry salaries that total up to 10% over the cap during the off-season. They simply have to be in compliance by Oct. 7.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But Bowman also wants to clear space to re-sign free agents Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger. And that\u2019s going to require some deep cuts.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That also means that Patrick Sharp, Bryan Bickell and Kris Versteeg might want to retain the services of a reputable realtor. For Chicago to ensure compliance with the salary cap, one or more of those veterans must be wearing a different sweater come opening night. The trick for Bowman is that no one seems all that interested in taking his problems off his hands.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Hawks would love to move Bickell and his $4 million cap hit, but the 29-year-old winger is coming off a pair of unproductive seasons. It\u2019s possible that he could be dealt if Chicago retained, say, 50% of his salary, but that would be only a stopgap move.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Versteeg counts just $2.2 million against the cap\u2014the Panthers are paying half his salary\u2014and showed in the first half of last season (27 points in 33 games), and again in the Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning, that he can be a valuable middle-six player. Again, moving him could get the Blackhawks under the cap, but it would be a short-term solution.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Available free agents and cap space&lt;/strong&gt; | &lt;strong&gt;Signings tracker&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That\u2019s why moving Sharp is viewed as the most appealing option. He carries a cap hit of $5.9 million both this year and next, and while he has a no-trade clause, that\u2019s not expected to be a problem.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is a problem is finding a taker. If Bowman held out any hope that a bidding war might erupt for the high-level, versatile forward, those chances ended when the Penguins acquired Phil Kessel and the Capitals added Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie.&amp;nbsp;Without those Eastern Conference rivals in the mix, interest in Sharp has been tepid. So, who might take him on?\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Florida might seem like an obvious option. GM Dale Tallon is a frequent trading partner and has plenty of cap space. He also has a team that\u2019s leaning young and might benefit from Sharp\u2019s veteran presence. The only problem with that theory is that the Panthers don\u2019t appear to be interested.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Islanders are reportedly out as well. Garth Snow\u2019s top need at the moment is a veteran defenseman.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Canadiens are another club that is mentioned as a possible destination for Sharp, but they have cap problems of their own. Montreal has to work out a deal with Alex Galchenyuk and has just over $7 million in cap space. That\u2019s enough to sign the promising restricted free agent (RFA), but it wouldn\u2019t leave enough room to add Sharp without making other moves that could significantly weaken the team.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Rangers? They have over $10 million to work with, but only nine forwards under contract. RFA center Derek Stepan is going to eat up more than half of that.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Boston? The Bruins need another forward, but after engineering several moves to create $5 million in space they\u2019re not going to splurge on Sharp and put themselves back in cap hell.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Flyers? They\u2019d benefit from bringing Sharp back but have even less cap space than Boston.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That leaves Bowman with a small group of talent-challenged teams to work with. The Sabres are in the midst of one of the most dramatic makeovers in years and could be in the mix. The Devils\u2019&amp;nbsp;offense ranked among the league\u2019s worst last season and they\u2019re desperate to upgrade their talent. The Maple Leafs might view Sharp as another asset to be cashed in at the deadline.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;None of these teams are likely to floor Bowman with their offers, but at this point what he receives is secondary to the cap space a trade would clear this year and next, when top-four defenseman Brent Seabrook will be looking for a sizable raise.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The return for Sharp might be a couple of picks now, but his value will only decrease as the summer wears on. As Chiarelli learned last year, no one\u2019s in a rush to help a top team out of a salary-cap jam. The longer Bowman waits, the tougher it\u2019ll be to create the space he needs.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hot links&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;No negotiations to date for a Steven Stamkos contract extension? No worries, says the superstar\u2019s agent.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;Top prospect Jimmy Vesey is attending the Predators\u2019&amp;nbsp;development camp this week, but he won\u2019t be in Nashville when the main camp kicks off. Here\u2019s why.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;Former teammate Colby Armstrong says playing with Phil Kessel can be \u201Cfrustrating.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Philadelphia drafted three European goalies in this year\u2019s draft. Do they know something the rest of the league doesn\u2019t?\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022&amp;nbsp;Here\u2019s what Jamie Benn has to say about his  recovery from offseason hip surgery.\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/07/09/chicago-blackhawks-salary-cap-situation-trade-options>