Will Patrick Kane from the Blackhawks be traded at the deadline?

With just over four weeks until the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3, we’ve got you covered every day at Daily Faceoff with a story focused on the trades leading up to Deadline Day.

Today we’re going to take a deep dive on Chicago Blackhawks icon Patrick Kane, who will be considering trade opportunities as a #4 ranked player on our Trade Targets chart.

Trade deadline 2023 countdown: 31 days

PATRICK KANE
Right Winger, Chicago Blackhawks
Shots: right
Age: 34
Height: 5’10” | Mass: 177 pounds.
Cap reached: $10.5M
Term: Waiting for UFA
Commercial terms: Total veto power “without exchange”
Statistics: 45 GP, 9 goals, 25 assists, 34 points, 19:48 avg YOU
Career: 16th season (all with Chicago), 1,152 GP, 439 goals, 1,214 points, 20:18 avg YOU

Archetype and ideal role

franchise player. Frontline entertainer, frontline power play.

Players like Kane become so rarely available. There are only 17 “franchise players”, according to our Daily Faceoff archetype series, and Kane ranked No. 13 in the category of the most elite players in the game.

Screening report

Kane has nothing more to accomplish at the NHL level. His trophy box is full: three Stanley Cups, the Hart Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, the Calder Trophy and the NHL Top 100 Anniversary Team. He could have hung up his skates seven seasons ago and still been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Kane’s game is so iconic that you can rattle off details about his style of play without batting an eyelid. The question teams are trying to answer is: where is his game at 34?

We will tell you. His vision and hands are still the best in the league. He anticipates and quickly moves the puck into the zones to take advantage of the space. His deception is off the charts, using his quickness to escape the pressure and gain enough of an advantage in the open ice where he creates space to be dangerous.

One underrated thing about Kane is that his shooting is also incredibly deceptive. His backhand is lethal, especially down his wing, and his hands and anticipation allow him to catch and release pucks with great precision, making up for a lack of sheer power.

Full stop: Kane is an assassin. But this year, it is in full crisis. He’s south of a point per game for only the second time in the past decade. His shooting percentage is a career low. He is playing two minutes less per game.

Are these things an aberration because of this unusual season and the noise surrounding his potential Chicago exit? Is the crisis the result of the players he plays with? Is this the result of his recent nagging injuries? Or are we watching the beginning of the end for one of the greatest players of all time?

Attention buyer

Let’s work through these questions one by one.

Kane has been a playing winger his entire career, able to power that line no matter who he plays with. Whoever Chicago deployed with Kane, he produced a lot. This season, that has not been the case.

Teammates Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou had revival mini-seasons in Chicago. And Kane has certainly played with worse players. He wasn’t very lucky either. With multiple seasons shooting north of 16%, the 11.5% career shooter is scoring at half the rate this year (6%).

Perhaps the most important factor is that Kane has been dealing with nagging injuries that have forced him to sit out three games this season. By watching his shifts closely, you can see that he’s not quite 100%. He doesn’t have the same “pop” to break away from defenders and create open space.

Second, the mental toll that all athletes go through when change is potentially on the horizon is absolutely real. Kane has been woven into the fabric of Chicago since 2007. There will one day be statues of Kane and Jonathan Toews outside the United Center and his jersey hanging in the rafters.

Kane’s family moved to Chicago from Buffalo, they are all rooted there. Her dad is a frequent visitor to morning skates, practices, and even road games. Leaving all of that behind and heading into the unknown of another uniform and another city can weigh on any player, preventing them from performing at their absolute best night and night.

Yes, Kane holds all the cards here with the complete ‘no-trade’, but deep down he probably knows what’s best for the team and that has to weigh on him. These factors are real and cannot be ignored.

All in all, it’s likely a combination of all of the above that has weighed on Kane’s production this season relative to his career.

Potential adjustments

One thing to watch out for: if Kane is traded, those close to him are wondering if he’s going to want to move twice, so the security of an extension may be very important to him. Consider this prism through which you view the adjustments below.

• Chicago Blackhawks: It cannot and should not be ruled out that Kane decides to stick to his contract, chooses not to uproot his family and re-evaluates his options this summer when free agency begins.
• New York Rangers: The mutual intrigue passed by there. The idea of ​​making Showtime the star attraction on Broadway, while reuniting him with former running mate Artemi Panarin, just makes too much sense. But I’m not convinced that Kane is the No. 1 target for Rangers. I believe it’s Timo Meier from San Jose.
• Vegas Golden Knights: A team that likes to make a splash? Check. A team that needs a right winger? Check. A team that could have $9.25 million in cap space if Mark Stone is out for the season? Blackjack. It’s easy enough to imagine Kane and Eichel glittering in all things gold.
• Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are such a fascinating team. They have depth everywhere. They are just starting to open their championship window. Kane would make sense on many levels, but maybe not in the long run? Or does he? Los Angeles certainly has the choices and prospects to succeed, and Kane would add to the Tinsel Town star.
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Toronto is close to the border with Buffalo. He made a name for himself just down the street in London. And he could skate alongside Auston Matthews, possibly the two best American forwards of all time on the same line. Wondering what that would do for a long-suffering fan base?
• New Jersey Devils: If not New York, what about across the Hudson River in New Jersey? The Devils have been clear in their quest for a top-six winger. Everyone assumes that it’s Timo Meier who will play alongside fellow Swiss Nico Hischier. But fellow American Jack Hughes, who is having an unreal season, is currently playing with Fabian Zetterlund. Would Kane go to New Jersey?
• Dallas Stars: The Stars would be a bit of a dark horse for Kane. They are set to become Stanley Cup contenders and Kane could replace them. I can’t rule out GM Jim Nill making a big swing.

Comparable commercial returns

This is an incredibly difficult trade return to handicap. We don’t yet know how many teams Kane would host or allow the Blackhawks to negotiate with. It could impact the return — if Kane only allows the Blackhawks to talk to one team and that team knows about it, it could limit what comes back to Chicago. An extension can also have an impact on performance.

Nonetheless, here are some potential comparables to consider:

March 19, 2022
In Florida: Claude Giroux, German Rubtsov, Connor Bunnaman, 2024 5th Round Pick
In Philadelphia: 2024 1st Round Pick, 2023 3rd Round Pick, Owen Tippett

December 6, 2019
To Arizona: Taylor Hall, Blake Speers
To New Jersey: Nick Merkley, Nathan Schnarr, Kevin Bahl, 2020 1st Round Pick (Dawson Mercer), 2021 3rd Round Pick (Ryder Korczak)

February 22, 2019
To Columbus: Matt Duchene, Julius Bergman
In Ottawa: Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson, 2019 1st Round Pick (Lassi Thomson)

Summary

Patrick Kane is still top flight, one of the best players in the world, with skills and abilities that could make him a productive player well into his 40s. There’s plenty left in the tank.

And he would be an assassin for any acquiring club hoping to add a fourth Stanley Cup to their trophy cabinet. The problem is whether he will be ready to leave Chicago.