Will Patrick Kane Play Again for the Blackhawks?

To say it has been a rollercoaster the past few days would be an understatement. The Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers rumors started to swirl and there seems to be no stopping it. After a 4 game run in which Kane got 10 points (should be 11) it seemed like there may soon be a line around the corner for his services.

Unfortunately it now seems like Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks have no leverage as Patrick Kane seems destined to be a New York Ranger. The rumored return should say it all: possibly a former 1st round talent that has wanted out for awhile (and may prefer to play in the KHL), a former 3rd round pick that has played like a 2nd round pick, and maybe a 3rd or 4th round pick. Not to say Vitali Kravtsov and Zac Jones (the rumored return) can't be good Blackhawks, however not receiving a 2023 1st round pick seems like a loss when talking about trading future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane.

There is, of course, the narrative (likely taken) that we should just "do right by Kane" and give him his exit to where he only wants to go. From a business perspective, it would certainly be nice to receive back his value (which for me is a 1st, 3rd, and a good prospect), but in the end when thinking about the future it may be best to just take in "any" value and let him try to add to his winning legacy.

From a positive view: Some point soon Patrick Kane will retire, have his statue made, his jersey number retired, and be a Blackhawk for life. When he is back in the United Center it would be in our best interest to have the best exit possible for this reason. Secondly, without Patrick Kane in the lineup we can start to fall back down in the standings. He was almost single-handedly winning us games of late after all.

If this is my last article where Patrick Kane is still a Blackhawk then so be it. I, like many of you, are just waiting for the "Patrick Kane won't play tonight" news. Until then, let's all temper expectations on any return and be thankful for the 1,297 magical games that Patrick Kane played for the Blackhawks.