The Chicago Blackhawks’ rebuild under general manager Kyle Davidson began in earnest last week when he traded Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators. With Kirby Dach shipped to the Montreal Canadiens and Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik not given qualifying offers, there’s growing speculation the coming season will be the last for long-time stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Most of the focus is on the 33-year-old Kane, who remains among the league’s elite offensive stars. Cap Friendly shows he and Toews have a year remaining on their identical contracts with annual salary-cap hits of $10.5 million. Their full no-movement clauses give them full control over where they play in 2022-23. However, Davidson’s ongoing roster teardown could give the veteran winger a reason to leave.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes the Colorado Avalanche could take another run at acquiring Kane after looking into his availability before the March trade deadline. The New York Post‘s Larry Brooks feels the Rangers should pursue him if they can get the Blackhawks to retain half of his cap hit.
The Athletic’s Scott Powers doesn’t think Kane and Toews have spoken to Davidson yet about their futures, believing the Blackhawks GM will leave that decision up to them. If they want to be traded before the start of 2022-23, he feels they’ll have about a week to inform Davidson.
Citing sources close to Kane, Powers would be shocked if the winger chose to remain with the Blackhawks beyond the trade deadline. Given his contract, however, it could take that long to find a suitable trade partner given the cap constraints felt by most clubs, including the Avalanche and Rangers.
In other words, expect Kane to be front-and-center in the rumor mill in the coming months.
