With Legacy Cemented, Blackhawks Need To Do Right By Patrick Kane
It's time to grant Showtime his wish...
Sometimes doing the right thing should come above all else. Even in sports. And that should be the case when it comes to the Chicago Blackhawks and Patrick Kane.
That’s exactly why the Blackhawks need to grant their long-serving and loyal soldier his most desired wish.
Trade him wherever he wants to go. Even if that means you leave a better offer on the table.
Now, some of you may think that is sheer lunacy and that General Managers are paid the big bucks to do what’s best for the entire organization, rather than put the needs of the individual first.
That is probably true in most cases. But this isn’t most cases.
Kane has held up his end of the bargain with the Blackhawks. He’s been nothing but a winner and, in recent years when the franchise has lurched from one PR disaster to the next and stunk out the building on a nightly basis, No. 88 has continued to give the uniform his all. No matter what.
As such, with the NHL Trade Deadline now a week away, the Blackhawks and GM Kyle Davidson should be doing everything within their power to accommodate Kane and make sure he’s put in the best possible position to go and chase another Stanley Cup.
That’s the very least he deserves.
Word on the street is that is already happening. Multiple reports emerged on Friday suggesting that the New York Rangers - who had seemingly taken themselves out of the Kane sweepstakes by trading for St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko - were firmly back in the race and were the frontrunners.
Our good friend, Stefen Rosner, of New York Islanders Hockey Now, even reported on Friday that a Kane to New York deal was happening and the framework of the trade was being hammered out.
Now, while Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, told TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that “Patrick hasn’t made any decision yet,” it does seem pretty likely we’ll get an answer very soon.
After all, the Rangers scratched forwards Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn from their game against the Detroit Red Wings due to “roster management reasons.” It is also worth nothing that some reports had the Rangers linked to Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway given their desire for a bottom-six forward, but he was dealt to the Boston Bruins along with defenseman Dmitry Orlov as part of a monster deal.
Anyway, having acquired gritty forward Tyler Motte (again) from the Ottawa Senators last week, the Rangers can just slide Motte into a bottom-six role if they were to acquire Kane, rather than trade for another depth forward. Not only would they boast one of the most explosive and potent top six forward units in the entire NHL, but they could roll out ‘The Kid Line’ as their third-line and then have a very solid bottom-line with Motte, Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
Now, that is a dangerous and stacked lineup.
That’s exactly the kind of roster that can take you on a deep postseason run and really compete for the Stanley Cup.
It is hardly a secret that Kane has the Rangers at the top of his list. The two have been intricately linked for a substantial amount of time now, and it has always seemed like destiny would pull the two together at some point.
One of the greatest American-born players to have ever played in the NHL strutting his stuff at an iconic venue in Madison Square Garden in a massive market like New York just feels like it should happen.
There’s also the fact that, the day after the Blueshirts pulled the trigger on a swing-for-the-fences trade for Tarasenko, Kane said this to reporters:
It’s not like the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade,” Kane said. “If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at. I think the Rangers are a team that you definitely pay attention to and definitely are intrigued by, for obvious reasons. It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal.”
Or maybe not. While it did appear at one point that the Rangers were out on Kane, Larry Brooks of The New York Post reported on Wednesday that General Manager Chris Drury hadn’t given up hope of capturing his White Whale after all and he would be willing to thrash out a deal if Kane waived his no-move clause in order to greenlight a trade to New York.
And that’s why the timing of Brisson’s comments make sense. And that’s probably also why Kane took a “maintenance day” on Friday following a day off on Thursday. With all eyes firmly focussed on Kane and the trade chat intensifying by the second, you can understand why the Hawks would want to take their star asset out of the spotlight ahead of their matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Plus, the Rangers are going to have to perform some cap space wizardry in order to execute a trade for Kane, and that will take time. It might mean that a deal isn’t signed, sealed and delivered until the Trade Deadline on Friday. Any trade of this magnitude is going to take a while to complete because there’s so many complicated layers to it.
As things stand, the Rangers have $908,667 in projected cap space as we approach the trade deadline, per CapFriendly (it is an excellent site - do check it out). With Kane carrying a $10.5 million cap hit, that won’t cut it obviously. Therefore, New York and Chicago would have to involve a third team in any trade, as was the case in the deals involving the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ryan O’Reilly, and the Boston Bruins and Orlov and Hathaway. The Minnesota Wild acted as the third team in both of those trades.
This is complicated but for the Rangers to fit in 25 percent of Kane’s cap hit - which would amount to $2.625 million per CapFriendly - the Blackhawks and a third team would have to retain the rest between them. If we assume that Kravtsov and Leschyshyn would head to Chicago as part of the Kane trade, the Blueshirts would still need to waive another player in order to make all of the maths work. According to reports, veteran defenseman Ben Harpur, who carries a cap hit of $750,000, would be the ideal candidate.
Or, another option is the Rangers wait until next Friday when 25 percent of Kane’s remaining prorated cap hit would be just $595,946. That would give New York less work at the deadline in regards to making other moves to try and make this all work.
Does your head hurt yet? Yeah, mine too.
There’s also the small matter of what the Rangers would have to give up. Brooks has previously reported that their 2023 First Round pick is off-limits due to how loaded this year’s Draft class is. Plus, New York already gave up a First Rounder this year in the Tarasenko trade. Brooks noted that bluechip prospects Will Cuylle and Brennan Othmann are also off limits, but highly-regarded defenseman Zac Jones could be included in a deal. But, as we mentioned right at the top, the Blackhawks may have to take less in order to give Kane what he really wants.
On that subject, now we’ve got the logistics of any potential trade out of the way, it just comes down to all parties getting something done before the Trade Deadline on March 3 at 3PM ET. And, as we’ve already stated, the Blackhawks really owe it to Kane to get him dealt to New York if that’s his ultimate wish.
Since being drafted by the organization with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Kane has done nothing but deliver for Chicago. He won the Calder Trophy in 2007-08 after potting 72 points (21 G, 51 A) in his rookie year. He’s a four-time All-Star, he’s a Conn Smythe Trophy winner (2012-13), he’s a Hart Trophy winner (2015-16), he’s a Art Ross Trophy winner (2015-16), he’s a Ted Lindsay Award winner, he was named as one of the 100th best players in the NHL and, more importantly, he played a vital role in delivering three Stanley Cups to the city of Chicago.
Kane scored the Overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final against the Philadelphia Flyers - the goal that will always be enshrined in history for delivering the Blackhawks their first championship in 49 years.
The right wing has made a habit of coming up clutch for the Hawks. Time and time and time again he’s come up with the goods, sometimes putting his team on his back and dragging them to greatness. He has recorded 1,225 points (446 G, 779 A) in 1,161 career games, while averaging 20:18 of total ice time.
Kane was built for the big moment though. He was meant to produce highlight-reel plays and jaw-dropping moments on the biggest stage. Aside from his cup-clinching goal in 2010, the forward has amassed 132 points (52 G, 80 A) in 136 career postseason games.
A playmaker with a lethal shot, Kane is a generational talent and he will forever be remembered for being a core piece of the Hawks’ dynasty - one of the greatest runs we’ve seen in the National Hockey League.
But we shouldn’t forget the last couple of years, either, which will play a big part in the overall narrative of Kane’s career in Chicago. With the franchise dogged by a string of scandals over the past couple of years, on-ice disappointment has followed. With the entire organization in what has seemed like a constant tailspin, the Hawks missed the postseason in both 2022 and in 2021, and they’ve made just one trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the last five years.
Yet, despite that large sample size of underachieving, Kane has remained a productive force. Since his 110 point season (44 G, 66 A) in 2018-19, he hasn’t recorded less than 66 points in a single year and he potted 92 points (26 G, 66 A) as recently as the 2021-22 season.
Then there’s been this season. Despite dealing with a long-standing hip injury and despite the fact the Blackhawks are going all out to tank for Connor Bedard, Kane has continued to turn up and give it everything he’s got. While other players in similar situations may have mailed it in by now and called it quits, Kane has continued to lead by example and go into battle fully committed. Heck, we see players quit under far less pressure in the NBA in order to force a trade - looking at you Kyrie Irving - but Kane isn’t built that way. No hockey player is, truthfully.
And, as the trade chatter has grown more and more intense the closer we’ve gotten to the Trade Deadline, Kane has only elevated his game. And then some. He has been on an absolute heater as of late, tallying seven goals and three assists for 10 points in his last four games. He recorded a primary assist on Tyler Johnson’s game-tying goal as the Blackhawks beat the Vegas Golden Knights in a Shootout on Tuesday, then he went and recorded three points (two G, one A) as his team beat the Dallas Stars the following night. Chicago may be in the midst of what looks to be a lengthy rebuild and teardown, but Kane isn’t about to depart the only team he’s ever known without showing some fighting spirit first.
What Kane’s future looks like after this year remains to be seen. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and he’ll have his pick of teams in the offseason, that’s for sure. There will be plenty of contenders willing to give Kane an opportunity to add at least one more Stanley Cup to his resume.
But, for now, all legends deserve a fitting farewell and the Chicago Blackhawks owe it to Kane, for all he’s done for the franchise and for the city, to allow him to determine his own fate. It would be the perfect way to honor his legacy.
It is what Patrick Kane deserves.
