NEWSLETTER
While the Blackhawks were running Jordan Binnington out of the barn in St. Louis, a report out of Canada made a little noise of note for Chicago fans.
On the “32 Thoughts” intermission report on Saturday night, Jeff Marek reported a few things, but the item of note for Blackhawks fans. He said Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are expected to make a decision on their futures (individually) by mid-February.
“This conversation goes back six or seven months,” Marek said. “Both these players hold no-move clauses and I think everyone involved thought we’d get a better snapshot of who’s in, who’s out, who’s a contender, where can these guys go but, with so many teams in contention and injuries always a factor, it doesn’t sound as if Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews are in any position to make a decision until mid-February. As someone told me today, the injury to Max Pacioretty in Carolina may just make things that much more interesting for both those two gentlemen and maybe other players who could be moved at the deadline as well.”
The more you look at the needs of teams that might be in a position to go for it, teams like Carolina and Seattle start making more and more sense if either of Chicago’s stars would accept a deal there. Carolina has been rumored to be interested in Bo Horvat in Vancouver, but the loss of Pacioretty may open a need on the wing for them as well.
