Earlier this week, Patrick Kane sat down for a lengthy interview (embedded below) with the folks at NBC Sports Chicago. The interview touched on few key subjects, from Connor Bedard (and other players in the 2023 NHL Draft) to Kane’s recent injury and the current state of the Blackhawks.
Noteworthy Nuggets
Regarding when he and agent Pat Brisson (who also represents Jonathan Toews, Seth Jones and a few other Hawks) are going to talk to Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson:
I talk with Pat pretty much every week. I think we checked in with Kyle right before Christmas, but really nothing to report right now, just kind of initiating conversation and seeing where each other is at. I don’t think there was much to report on those conversations yet, so keep talking with Pat and just have those conversations, see how things are going and probably check in with Kyle at some point soon, I’m sure of that.
So they checked in before Christmas, which is newsworthy. It was reported in December by a couple outlets, initially by David Pagnotta at The Fourth Period, that a more formal conversation would take place at some point in January. That seems to be in line with Kane saying they’ll “probably check in with Kyle at some point soon.” Obviously his current injury could impact that conversation.
Recently, Elliotte Friedman spitballed the hypothetical scenario where Kane decides to shut it down and get whatever has been ailing him for a couple years “cleaned up.” Kane was asked about the idea of not playing again this season.
I don’t think so, no, I don’t think that it’s at that effect right now. I mean, I guess you never know what could happen but that’s definitely not where we’re at right now.
That’s good news — especially if you’re in the column that believes he will accept a trade at some point to help the rebuild.
The hard part of Kane’s job right now, and the only reason the hypothetical scenario is even a consideration is because the Blackhawks are losing. A lot. (Well, they were before Kane went on IR, but that’s another whole subject/column.) Kane was asked about dealing with the mental challenges of being a team that is losing this much.
Yeah, it’s tough. I think we kind of, I don’t want to say we knew we were going to be in this position, I think there was a little hope at the beginning of the year of the start we got off to. There’s still a lot of season left. I think we could be a team that you saw last two games, kind of find ways to win, compete every night, bring some excitement. The crowd’s been great, so that’s fun to see too, so there’s a lot to play for in that regard.
But yeah, it’s a different year obviously, going into the last year of your contract and different variables about what’s going to happen or where you’re going to be the rest of your career, different things like that. You think about that stuff, especially when it gets into January here and got a couple months to the trade deadline, so we’ll see how it all shakes out.
Finally, and this was a great question from Pat Boyle, Kane was asked if Toews’ decision could influence his decision to be open to a trade. The two have been attached at the hip since they arrived in the NHL together, and are the two faces of the dynasty era. The fact they share an agent and have signed matching contracts their entire careers are anecdotal additions to the idea they would make a joint decision to stay or go. That doesn’t appear to be the case.
I don’t know about him. I think both of us will probably want to hear and see what the other one is doing and play off that a little bit and kind of see what that is when the time gets closer, but I don’t think it will be like a determining factor or what one or the other does.
You can watch the entire video above or read the transcript here. It’s a terrific interview. No matter what happens with Kane in the coming weeks, months or years, his place in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks is secure. And we’ve been fortunate to watch him make history along the way.