As I opened up Twitter, I just about soiled myself when I saw Patrick Kane was trending, but he was just named NHL player of the week. The pitchforks can remain in the garage for now. Kane had ten points in three games played during the week, continuing the absolute tear he’s been on.
The anxiety that I have already endured over just the thought of a Patrick Kane trade has taken years off my life. Patrick Kane has been the most successful player in the City of Chicago across all sports since he was drafted. Kane, along with the other core members, brought a Dynasty to the Windy City. Kane is the closest thing Chicago has had to Michael Jordan since, well, Michael Jordan. This doesn’t matter to Kyle Davidson; the future is where he has his eyes are set on. Davidson has the tough decision of figuring out if Kane has more value to the franchise on the roster or traded for picks and prospects. Davidson will need to take his time evaluating what the right choice is and why it’s keeping Patrick Kane.
Chicago will want to have players in the locker room that can teach the young prospects the way on and off the ice. Kane has been the young top-end prospect coming into the NHL with high pressure on his shoulders, players like Kirby Dach, Lukas Reichel, and Dylan Strome are facing pressure from the fans to produce, and they can lean on a Patrick Kane to see what he did when he was slumping. Kane’s work ethic is unmatched, and it’s well known that Kane is one of the few players in the NHL that likes to skate year-round, not taking extended time off the ice. Kane’s competitiveness rubs off on his teammates, pushing them as hard as he can, even getting to the point where DeBrincat got caught having a few kind words for Kane during a TV timeout.
This intensity is great to have in young players, pushing them to be able to unlock their true potential.
Chicago has struggled (besides the last month) to score goals and create offense. Kanes biggest value comes from teaching Dach, Reichel, Kurashev, and any other prospect to “see” the game as he can. Kane has the best vision in the game, his ability to slow the game down and make beautiful sauce passes, creating scoring chances galore. His ability to play at top speed but have so much patience with the puck it feels like it’s slow-motion for him. Suppose Kane teaches just 20% of this to a Lukas Reichel or any skilled prospect that is more valuable than a late-round pick that has the odd of a scratch-off ticket.
Patrick Kane also brings value to the franchise from a business standpoint. It was not too long ago that the Blackhawks rink was empty, with rumblings of the team being moved. With a rebuild looming and more bad years coming, what will keep fans buying tickets? Patrick Kane. Kane is one of the most fun electric players in the NHL, and he got the nickname “Showtime” for a reason. His play alone will sell tickets, not to mention Kane is second on the franchise point list and is chasing down Mikita for the top spot. We all know a good chase for the top spot of anything draws fans. His legacy matters to the fans, and as long as he’s in a Blackhawks jersey, he will sell tickets and keep the owners happy on the business side of the game.
Patrick Kane has more value to the franchise if he goes down as the greatest Blackhawks of all time. His ability to grow the youth and keep money in the Wirtz pockets will keep both the fans and ownership happy. All while working towards the goal of rebuilding the next dynasty for the Blackhawks. According to a recent Ben Pope article, there are reasons to hope that Kane will be able to be a contributing factor on the next Blackhawks team that is contending for a Stanley Cup. As he holds the cards with a full no-move clause, who knows what Kane will ultimately decide.
I had Connor Green on “Cue The Dagger” this week, and we both get into this and dive even deeper into what a return for Kane could look like, along with all the other trade Chips the Blackhawks have. The positives and negatives of keeping Kane through the rebuild. A little New York Rangers Talk and Ovi talk as well. Please check it out below.
