Sometimes Michael Jordan finishes his career as a Washington Wizard.

Sometimes Frank Thomas hits his 500th career homer as a Toronto Blue Jay.

And sometimes Patrick Kane ends up in a New York Rangers sweater.

That last one isn’t yet official, though things are certainly moving that way as the Rangers move around pieces so they can fit No. 88 under their salary cap. Kane isn’t even with the Hawks anymore, having left the team’s current west coast swing and returned to Chicago to prepare for the presumed transaction.

I have to admit this is hitting a little harder than I thought it would. There was a time when I thought I’d be fine with watching Kane or Jonathan Toews chase a fourth Stanley Cup with another team. I’ve been jonesing for that playoff hockey high and it’s hard to get when you have no skin in the game.

But now that opportunity is seemingly here for Kane? Not so much.

Kane’s vintage performance the last few weeks helped spur that along, as does the fact that I can’t see myself rooting for the Rangers that hard.

And as I said on last Thursday’s The Chicago Sports Podcast, there are some superstars you just don’t trade. Kane and Toews are upper-echelon Chicago legends, as big as anyone we’ve had since Jordan and Scottie Pippen left town. The success of the Blackhawks rebuild doesn’t hinge on whatever limited return the team will receive from a market that was restricted by the previous GM and Kane has never seemed hellbent to put Chicago in his rearview mirror.

So why not figure out a path that includes an extension and Kane taking aim at putting his name at the top of every record category in team history?

And wouldn’t this rebuild be a lot more fun and interesting with a still-productive Kane along for the ride?

Still, the fact remains that professional sports are built to disappoint us and that one-team wonders like Walter Payton, Ernie Banks and Stan Mikita are the exception and not the rule in this town.

It sure won’t make this week any easier, though.

Make sure you’re following CHGO Blackhawks on Twitter for all the news as Friday’s trade deadline approaches. And join Jay Zawaski, Greg Boysen and Mario Tirabassi for a Diehard Happy Hour at 8 pm on Wednesday night!

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Join us on Wednesday for a CHGO Bulls Watch party!

When: This Wednesday at 6 pm
Where: PB&J: Pizza, Beer and Jukebox (205 N. Peoria Street)

• Free entry!
• $2 off all Goose Island drafts!
• $15 buckets of Goose Island 312!

RSVP here and let us know you’re coming!

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The Week Ahead

Bears: The NFL combine gets underway in Indianapolis this week! Our CHGO Bears crew will be rolling seven deep starting Tuesday as the draft prospects start to show what they’ve got.

Bulls: Two straight wins since the addition of Patrick Beverley and the team has the best defense in the league since January 1. Can they keep it rolling? They’ll do a Tuesday-Wednesday swing through Toronto and Detroit before coming back home to face the Suns on Friday and the Pacers on Sunday.

Fire: The season opener is Saturday at Soldier Field against NYCFC. New to the squad this season is 38-year-old Kei Kamara, the third-leading goal scorer in MLS history.

ICYMI

David Gust is 29 years old and grew up in Orland Park.

After years of grinding in the minors, tonight was his first game with the Blackhawks.

And on his first-ever shift in the NHL, this happened …#DreamsDoComeTrue

pic.twitter.com/XxWUpiyLFP

— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) February 26, 2023