On Monday, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported Patrick Kane and his agent intend to meet with Chicago Blackhawks management around December or January to take stock of where they are regarding his future.
Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, indicated his client is taking a wait-and-see approach to this season. He also said management wasn’t pressuring the 33-year-old winger one way or the other.
Nevertheless, speculation persists over where Kane will be playing by the March 3 trade deadline. His eligibility for unrestricted free-agent status next summer combined with the Blackhawks’ rebuild has made him a frequent fixture in the rumor mill.
TSN’s Craig Button recently chose two teams from each conference as possible destinations for Kane. He thinks the high-scoring winger could help the Calgary Flames offset some of the offense they lost during the summer while his playoff experience could benefit the Los Angeles Kings. In the East, Button felt Kane could bolster the Pittsburgh Penguins’ post-season production or boost the New York Rangers Stanley Cup hopes.
Button acknowledged Kane’s $10.5-million salary-cap hit for this season and his full no-movement clause gives the winger total control over his fate. Those teams also have limited cap space and would have to get the Blackhawks to retain half of his cap hit. Even then, they might need to get a third team involved to spread that cap hit around.
The Rangers have been linked to Kane for some time, but there’s no certainty they’ll get into the bidding if he becomes available before the trade deadline. The New York Post‘s Larry Brooks suggested they might not need the Blackhawks winger if younger players such as Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko step up this season.
