A Patrick Kane Trade Would be Catastrophic for the Blackhawks

Patrick Kane is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and will be going nowhere. Period.

The Blackhawks trading Patrick Kane would be catastrophic, in both hockey operations and business.

Patrick Kane is the Best American-born Hockey Player, first-ballot Hall of Famer, three-time Stanley Cup champion, multiple awards, multiple honors, one of the top 100 players in NHL history. He possesses a special talent that very few have, and he is the main influence of the Blackhawks right now.

I already covered this in a previous article, but the Blackhawks would have a huge undertaking if they even considered to do a move like this. There are salary cap restrictions where teams will have to part with a huge contract to pull off such a move. On top of this, the trade package would be so inflated, I highly doubt any team would consider going for it.

A trade package would include two or three first-round picks, an elite prospect, and a young impactful player right now. That’s a starting price. Why? Because Patrick Kane has a high value as far as his talent goes, but also what he means to the city. The return for a player of Kane’s caliber would have to be insane for the Blackhawks to even listen to an offer.

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Patrick Kane doesn’t want to hit anyone or fight anyone with his 5’10” 177-pound frame all the time, and that’s his playstyle. A playstyle that proved to be the cornerstone of the Blackhawks since he was drafted in 2007. If you think Kane’s playstyle isn’t working, then by golly you go try and win three Stanley Cups and become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It’s not easy, and Patrick Kane’s craft is still a mystery to the league, minus the alien by the name of Connor McDavid.

There are also business reasons as to why they won’t trade Kane. Look at the Buffalo Sabres as an example. They are desperate to remain with their heads above water, and retaining Jack Eichel is their only way to do so at the moment. Eichel wants out, but the Sabres won’t trade him because then there’s no reason to watch the team.

Same with Kane. Regardless of the young, promising Blackhawks roster, the casual fan would go to a game to watch Kane. So, there’s not only hockey operations motives behind a trade, but also business motives. You don’t just trade a superstar, not to mention one of the most marketable stars in the NHL.

Patrick Kane is not going anywhere and anyone who thinks differently doesn’t understand hockey or business. The NHL is all about putting a marketable product on the ice, and if Patrick Kane is traded you can be sure that the attendance level at the United Center would plummet.

Not only would they trade Patrick Kane, but Alex Debrincat and Connor Murphy may want out as well. You think they want to play for Bowman and Colliton? No, they want to play with Patrick Kane. Trading Kane would result in a catastrophe for the organization on all levels and any idea that he should leave the franchise should just stop.