Opinion: Patrick Kane will not be traded by the Chicago Blackhawks

February 9, 2023

Consider me officially on the other side of the fence. I do not believe Patrick Kane will be moved prior to the March 3 NHL trade deadline.

The trade speculations surrounding Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks took a major hit on Thursday afternoon when the St. Louis Blues sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers. It felt for a long time that the Rangers were the top option as a landing spot for Kane as soon as trade rumors started to surface around the former Hart Trophy winner. Now, with the Rangers out, I feel like there are less intriguing options for Kane on the table that won’t likely lead to him waiving his no-movement clause.

Full trade, per sources:

To #NYR: Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola
To #stlblues: 2023 1st Rd Pick*, Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner, 2024 4th Rd Pick, retain 50% on Tarasenko.

(* Condition: Blues will get the later of either NYR or DAL 2023 1st Rd Pick)@DailyFaceoff
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 9, 2023

Yes, Kane still has plenty of potential options like the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils.

But do those options move the needle as much for Kane as the opportunity to play in New York and reunite with Artemi Panarin probably did?

Only Kane can know that.

What we do know from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan is that the Rangers moved-on from their pursuit of Kane as a trade option due to the potential asking price and the increasing injury concerns surrounding him.

It doesn’t sound like the Rangers got to asking price point of discussions with Blackhawks – because ball is still in Patrick Kane’s court coming to Chicago with what he wants to do.

But the NYR didn’t want to wait on him, and also had concerns about his hip.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) February 9, 2023

This is now the third different major NHL insider to bring forward the league-wide concerns about Patrick Kane’s health and his “nagging injury” that is clearly hampering him. If the Rangers, a team that was once the biggest slam-dunk location for Kane, are pulling back from him, one would have to assume other NHL clubs are seeing similar red flags and are could be doing the same.

Patrick Kane was given a full no-movement clause by former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and he rightly deserved it. That clause is his, and his only, to exercise. If he waives it, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson then has the ability to get as best a deal done for the three-time Stanley Cup Champion as he can. B

But to me, reading the NHL room with my eyeballs, that is feeling less and less likely by the day.

Kane could come to the decision to not be traded in the coming days if he feels like there isn’t a fit for him elsewhere. But I feel like the decision is going to end up being made for him, given how the league perceives him in his current health status.