So why would the Blackhawks move veteran center Robert Lang to Montreal for a second-round pick?

This was a salary cap move. Lang will make $4 million this year. The Hawks bucked up to sign defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. And the club is employing Nikoloai Khabibulin as the back-up goaltender – and paying him $6.75 million this season to do so.

All of that left Chicago $2 million over the salary cap. Something had to give, and there isn’t a big market for the Bulin Wall these days. (Once the season starts unfolding and a contender loses a goaltender to injury, that could change.)

With Lang (and his 54 points in 76 games) departing, the Blackhawks must develop more depth up the middle. Kids like Dave Bolland and Petri Kontiola must play a role.

“We’re very happy with the direction we’re headed,: GM Dale Tallon told the Chicago Tribune. “Our young guys have taken great steps this off-season conditioning-wise. We have so many young players that sooner or later we have to open the door for them.”

With Lang headed to Montreal, Hockey Guys assumes the Canadiens are out of the Mats Sundin Sweepstakes. The long-time Maple Leafs center, an unrestricted free agent, is still deciding whether to play this season.

Lang’s move leave the Rangers as the leading Sundin suitor. Don’t be shocked in Washington gets involved, too. That would be scary for the rest of the NHL’s Eastern Conference.

AROUND THE RINKS: If you’re interesting in seeing the Blues prospects in action in Traverse City, their game against the Stars will be shown in the NHL Network at 9 p.m. Sunday. T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo, Jonas Junland and Ben Bishop will be among the headliners . . . Not playing in Traverse City this season is flashy Blue Jackets prospect Nikita Filatov, who is sidelined by a lower leg injury . . . The Predators are still grappling with the KHL over forward Alexander Radulov, who opted to sign with the high-paying Russian league while still under contract in Nashville. Other KHL players, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail, include Darius Kasparaitus, Sergei Brylin, Josef Stumpel, Josef Vasicek, Oleg Saprykin, Andrei Nikolishin, Alex Perezhogin, Oleg Tverdovsky, Niko Kapanen, Branko Radivojevic and Alexei Yashin. Former Blue Martin Rucinsky is playing for Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic this year and former Blue Freddie Brathwaite is playing in Germany.