Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman made his first splash into the trade market Friday, albeit the type of splash resulting from stepping into the bathtub.

It isn’t the deal many had hoped for, but getting center Brendan Morrison from Calgary for prospect Brian Connelly seems to be a solid depth move with very little risk.

Bowman said he’s been talking to Calgary “for awhile” to secure this deal, which seems beneficial for both teams.

Two things. First, Morrison is not the second-line center the fan base hoped the Blackhawks would acquire. His job will be – or should be, since we never seem to know what Q is thinking – to win draws on the fourth line while not playing a ton of minutes.

Second, he’s 36 with a history of knee problems, so don’t expect him to provide anything more than serviceable minutes.

It’s precisely the reason Bowman wasn’t about to give up anything of substance for him, and Connelly seems to be on the back end of the list when it comes to NHL potential for Blackhawks defensive prospects. An AHL All-Star doesn’t translate into NHL-ready, or even close to NHL-ready.

Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times posted a series of tweets with quotes from ‘Hawks players and Morrison himself regarding the trade, some ‘Hawks chirping after Morrison was injured in a meeting last season and his injury history.

The main thing to come from this deal is that Bowman is hitting the phones trying to make this team better. We’ll see what else he has up his sleeve.

♦   Jonathan Toews is expected to play Tuesday in Vancouver, according to Bowman.

He made sure to note the trade for Morrison had nothing to do with Toews’ injury, which came as a welcome relief.

Whether or not Captain is returning at 100 percent is another story, especially given the issue being in the hand/wrist area. Toews has an extremely tough mentality, but even the boldest of individuals can be hesitant to play physical after an injury like that. Either way, a Toews at 80 percent is better than, well, nearly everyone at 100 percent.

♦   I’ve read Steve Silverman’s takes on the NFL plenty over the years. Hell, his Twitter handle is @profootballboy. So when I noticed Silverman decided to chime in and suggest the Blackhawks should trade for Tim Thomas, it’s no surprise I became immediately disgruntled.

Silverman suggested the ‘Hawks have no chance of winning a Stanley Cup with Corey Crawford and Ray Emery – sound familiar, 2009-10 naysayers? – then detailed Thomas’ absence from Boston’s White House visit as a reason the Bruins would possibly unload their Vezina-winning goaltender when he’s putting up solid numbers for a team looking poised to repeat.

From Silverman:

A story in the Boston Globe by Bruins beat writer Fluto Shinzawa revealed that the goalie is a bit of a loaner and does not have many friends on the team.

Thomas is 37 and is in the next-to-last year of a 4-year contract. He is giving up 2.15 goals per game and has stopped 93.3 percent of the shots he has faced. Backup Tuukka Rask, 24, is second in the league with a 1.83 goals against and is stopping 93.8 percent of the shots he faced. The Bruins have an abundance of riches in goal and most team observers expect Rask to be the starter next year.

At one point or another they are going to have to give the job to the younger man. Thomas has a no-trade clause in his contract, but players have been known to waive those clauses in the past.

It would be a stretch, but if the Bruins feel like the situation is starting to divide the locker room, they might be willing to consider the idea of trading Thomas. It would be in Bowman’s best interest to make a call to Chiarelli.

Let’s make a comparison. If Toews was a loner, had no friends on the team, skipped a team function but was putting together a Hart Trophy campaign for the Cup-contending ‘Hawks, would you trade him to give his spot to Brandon Pirri?

Didn’t think so. Add this onto the meatballs trying to ship Patrick Kane out of town, and one’s head could explode from such ridiculousness.