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NHL Rumours: Trade Talk Around Hawks Hero Heat Up

With the Chicago Blackhawks entering full rebuild mode, fans in the Windy City have seen a number of key players traded for assets. Questions that were previously unthinkable now loom over the future of the two franchise faces. Both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been rumoured to be available. In this edition of NHL rumours, we focus on Patrick Kane.  Kane has the most value right now and it seems the club may be willing to the right offer.

Clubs Heavily Linked with Trading for Patrick Kane

Rumour: During the Daily Faceoff’s DFO Rundown podcast, Frank Seravalli revealed there are three teams closely monitoring Kane’s situation. The Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs all appear to be willing to open talks and/or interest, which began in July. However, Seravalli also reported that the winger has no interest in an offseason move and would prefer to assess the situation closer to the 2023 deadline.

Patrick Kane’s Value

Kane was drafted first overall by the Blackhawks in, after an outstanding OHL season with the London Knights.

The American star has gone on to have an outstanding career. He was named one of the NHL’s top 100 players of all time. He has scored 430 goals and 1,180 points in 1,107  regular season appearances. Kane is also a clutch post-season performer, with three Stanley Cups and 132 points in 136 games to his name.

Unsurprisingly, Kane has plenty of personal hardware to make him a lock for the Hall of Fame. 2015-16 was his most prolific year when he took home the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay and Hart Memorial Trophies. He also won the Calder Trophy as a rookie and was named the Conn Smythe winner as a result of his excellent play during the Blackhawks’ 2013 Cup win.

Currently, Kane still performs to a high standard. Despite being 33 and on a rebuilding side, he finished 15th overall in points. As noted above, the man nicknamed ‘Showtime’ definitely will bring playoff pedigree and it is easy to see why the Oilers, Rangers and Leafs are all interested.

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Interested Teams

Edmonton Oilers

Starting with Edmonton, the opportunity to unite the top three scorers in the past four years is seriously tempting. Not only would Oilers management love Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to be able to form a three-headed monster with Kane, but even neutral fans would relish the opportunity to watch the high-scoring trio.

However, Kane carries a $10.5 million cap hit. It is generally understood that Chicago will likely retain and a third-party club could be involved. Unfortunately for Edmonton they are significantly over the cap and need to clear just over $6 million. With reinforcements required in defence and the bottom-six. Therefore, it could prove to be unwise to bulk up in a position where they are already so strong.

New York Rangers

The Rangers could be an interesting option. Kane and Artemi Panarin had wonderful chemistry during their time together in Chicago. The opportunity for the Blueshirts to have them light it up at Madison Square Garden is tempting. Additionally, reuniting with Panarin could be a reason for Kane to agree to waive his no-movement clause.

Unfortunately for New York, the required trade could derail their excellent progress. The Rangers are building a strong squad on Broadway, but Chicago will likely want top-tier prospects, high picks and an NHL-ready player at least. This could see the team lose valuable youth and depth for a veteran who will inevitably decline. If the Rangers really are playing the long game, acquiring Kane does not make a lot of sense. No matter how tempting it would be

Toronto Maple Leafs

This now leaves us with the Leafs, who are seemingly linked to every player. Like with Edmonton, throwing Kane into Toronto’s top-six would make them (seemingly) unstoppable. Like Edmonton however, the Leafs true needs lie elsewhere in the lineup. Still, the temptation to add a player like Kane is incredibly high. The Leafs, however, are in the same boat as the Oilers and Ranger with their cap situation. Any trade will be tricky and likely require

The Maple Leafs playoff woes are well documented. This may make the club unattractive to a lot of players. However, Kane has three rings already and nothing to lose. The Leafs playoff curse could be a challenge he is willing to take on and conquer. He was a major factor in helping end the Blackhawks postseason curse. If once again, he proves himself to be still Mr. Showtime, he could propel the Leafs to the ultimate prize and become a hero once more.

Kane Holds the Cards

Finally, Kane is not getting any younger but still dictates his trade destination with a full no-movement clause. Therefore, nothing can happen without his approval. It all depends on what Kane values most. All three teams offer excellent rosters and have Stanley Cup aspirations. Kane would definitely make any three of these teams Cup favourites. Of course, there are always other factors in making this kind of decision. While the Rangers, Oilers and Leafs are the teams linked to Kane right now, but when a player with Kane’s ability becomes available, all NHL teams are interested.  Now it’s up to Patrick Kane to decide where he wants to go.

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