There has been a lot of buzz around Patrick Kane in recent days, with everyone thinking they had the hot tip for where the Blackhawks’ next superstar trade would find a partner.
Free agency begins on Wednesday, and teams are stacking the deck for a postseason run as best they can. So will a Kane deal happen while teams are figuring out their long-term budget?
It looks like that’s a no.
As we have said on multiple occasions, this makes the most sense. An in-season trade would give Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson more potential suitors as the cap hit for Kane diminishes daily and teams start having wild postseason dreams.
The most intriguing part of Frank Seravalli’s tweet is the final three words, however — “if at all.” That seems to indicate Kane isn’t necessarily as out-the-door as some have wanted to believe recently.
Kane, and Jonathan Toews for that matter, have been students of the game since they entered the league. And, at this stage in their respective careers, they know their places in the history of the Blackhawks. Kane is driven to be not only the greatest American-born player in NHL history, but he wants to break all of Stan Mikita’s records for the club. And he’ll need a few more years in Chicago to do that.