Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that while most people believe Patrick Kane will be traded first out of Chicago, that might not actually be the case. Some will suggest that Jonathan Toews might be untradeable when you look at his production versus his salary, but Lazerus believes there is a market for the player and that he could ultimately be moved first, assuming Kane gets traded at all.
The scribe writes as one of his bold predictions from The Athletic staff, “Jonathan Toews will get traded, and Patrick Kane won’t.” He adds, “Seems like everyone’s assuming the opposite, because they think Toews is untradeable and Kane will be too valuable at the deadline to hold onto.” He argues that this isn’t necessarily true and that if Toews has a decent season and shows his value as a leader, there will be teams that show interest. Lazerus specifically mentioned the Colorado Avalanche could reach out as they might be in the market for his leadership and depth as a third-line center.
As for whether Kane gets moved or not, Lazerus writes:
I may be alone on this, but I really believe he’s looking for a reason to stay. He wants to be a Blackhawks lifer. Kyle Davidson would probably prefer to trade him for a first-round pick and more, but Kane holds all the cards. And while playing alongside Artemi Panarin or Mathew Barzal would be greatly appealing to him, in the end, Chicago is home.
There has been an argument that Kane might stick with the Blackhawks regardless of how their season goes. He could feel that leaving the only team he’s ever played for isn’t what he wants to do, or he could see a terrible season as a chance to grab Connor Bedard in the NHL Draft. Bedard is pegged as a generational talent that Kane would clearly be excited to play with.
One thing that could happen is Kane could approve a trade before the deadline and join a contender, then sign back again with the Blackhawks in the offseason.
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