Chicago Blackhawks Off-Day Tidbits: Rival Tried To Trade For Patrick Kane

On and near Thanksgiving, we give thanks for all of the great things that have happened in our lives. More often than not, we forget to give thanks for some negative things that have not happened to us — or to the Chicago Blackhawks.

In 2007, as we all know, the Chicago Blackhawks had the first first overall pick in their team’s history, and they put it to big use. They drafted a franchise player in Patrick Kane, someone who has changed the landscape of hockey in Chicago forever.

Could you imagine what this team and the past 11 years would look like if the Blackhawks hadn’t received the first overall pick, or if they had drafted someone else? Could you imagine a St. Louis Blues team that has both Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko? Had ex-general manger Dale Tallon agreed to a trade proposal from the St. Louis Blues, this could have been reality.

Friendly reminder, the St. Louis Blues had the first overall pick in 2006, and passed on Jonathan Toews to instead draft Erik Johnson.  What would the NHL be like right now with a St. Louis Blues team that has Toews, Kane and Tarasenko? What would the Blackhawks look like? Crazy stuff, man.

According to a recent episode of Blackhawks All Access, the Blues tried to trade up in the 2007 draft to the No. 1 pick in hopes to draft Kane. For this first overall pick, the Blues offered the Blackhawks three first-round picks.

After doing some digging, I confirmed this report.

The specifics

They tried to trade the Blackhawks the ninth, 24^th and 26^th picks in that year’s draft in exchange for the No. 1 pick.

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They ended up trading the ninth pick to the Sharks and the 24^th pick to the Atlanta Thrashers. They used the 26^th pick, which they received from the Devils, who received it from the Sharks. The rest of the picks in that year’s draft can be found here.

Breaking down the picks

The 9^th pick in that year’s draft was used to select Logan Couture. His highest goal total came in the 2010-11 season, when he had 32. His highest point total came in 2014-15, when he had 67. In 522 career NHL regular-season games, he has put up 189 goals totaling 391 points.

The 24^th pick was used to select Mikael Backlund. His highest goal total came in the 2016-17 season, when he had 22. His highest point total came in that same season, when he hit 36.

The 26^th pick was used to select David Perron. His highest goal total came in the 2013-14 season, when he had 28. His highest point total came in that same season, when he hit 57. He hit 46 points as recently as last season.

So, would having Couture, Backlund and Perron on today’s roster be an improvement over having just Patrick Kane? Comparatively, his highest goal total came in the 2015-16 season, when he had 46. His highest point total came in the same season when he had 106.

So, in my opinion, the answer to my question is no. Kane is a once-in-a-lifetime type talent, and all three of those players combined wouldn’t replace him. Couture is a proven scorer, but Backlund and Perron are more depth players than anything. Thanks Dale, you made the right choice!

Other Blackhawks Ttidbits

For fans who don’t know, you can go watch the Blackhawks practice for free downtown at their new practice facility, and the schedule can be found here. It is updated regularly. I was at Blackhawks practice on Monday, and this is where the first two tidbits will come from.

At practice, GM Stan Bowman was on his phone making different calls almost the entire time. This was the same day TSN released a report that the Canadiens GM has been the most active GM in the league lately. Remember, over the summer, Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk was tied to the Blackhawks on numerous occasions. Coincidence? Probably. But still something interesting to note.

Related Story: Chicago Blackhawks Rumors: Anisimov For Galchenyuk Heats Up Again

Also, it was clear to me that the Blackhawks biggest stars are not happy with their personal play or team play. Practice starts at 11 a.m., but at 10:40 a.m., Captain Serious was on the ice by himself working on little things. Kane came on around 10:45 a.m. and was also working on little things. As more players started to filter onto the ice around 11 to shoot around, Toews was working with one of the coaches on a quicker release.

Practice was full of smiles, and it seemed Brandon Saad celebrated every time any player scored a goal. Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Sharp were also seen celebrating several times. Which is good, a team needs to be loose and not grip their stick too tight.

But throughout the entire practice, both Kane and Toews maintained a level of seriousness and intensity. Both players were visibly upset with any mistakes. Almost the entire team stayed on the ice for at least 25 minutes after coach Joel Quenneville left the ice, which is an encouraging sign.

On another note, Vinnie Hinostroza has been lighting up the AHL. Literally. This goal is one of many, but it shows why he needs to be on the NHL roster and not in the AHL.

The main complication here is roster math in who will be sent down and who is waiver exempt. The Blackhawks seem to be nervous about losing Tanner Kero or Jordan Oesterle to waivers. They also don’t want to send down red-hot Alex DeBrincat, and John Hayden has proven to be too valuable to send down as well.

Next: Blackhawks Jump Inside Power Rankings' Top 20

The second complication is which forward sits if/when Vinnie comes up. Lance Bouma is doing all the right things lately, and Tommy Wingles is a solid fourth-line center. Does Q have the guts to bench Sharp? Time will tell.