Teams around the NHL are interested in longtime Chicago Blackhawks goal-scorer Patrick Kane, but the 34-year-old right winger is still in the process of deciding whether to waive his no-movement clause and welcome a trade away from his longtime NHL home.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Kane said teams have reached out to his agent to gauge Kane’s interest in being traded out of cellar-dwelling Chicago and to a contender.
The NHL trade deadline is March 3.
“We’ll just probably be taking it up to the deadline and making a decision,” Kane said. “So yeah, we’ll probably talk about that possibly, too, if that’s an option of getting traded and obviously figure out a team that could be the best fit. But we’re not really at that point either.”
Kane, who is in his 16th season with Chicago, was asked which team might be the best fit for him.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s tough to decide if we’re getting to that point yet, so I think there are definitely opportunities out there that are intriguing and could be exciting. We’ll see.”
Kane’s contract is up after the current season and it’s speculated that Chicago will try to flip him for younger assets. The Blackhawks are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the fewest points in the NHL (34) and are in the midst of a tear-it-down rebuild that saw them part with forwards Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik and Kirby Dach last offseason.
Multiple reports said that the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars are among the teams that have inquired about Kane.
Kane was the first overall draft pick in 2007 and became the first American-born player to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s scoring leader. In 1,152 career games, Kane has racked up 1,214 points (439 goals, 775 assists).
He won both the Hart Trophy as the league MVP and the Art Ross in 2015-16, when he tallied 46 goals and 60 assists. In 45 games this season, Kane has nine goals and 25 assists.
–Field Level Media
