Patrick Kane hasn’t tipped his hand regarding whether he wave his no-movement clause. But signs point to the Chicago Blackhawks captain doing just that in advance of a trade to the New York Rangers.
Kane was sent home by the team on Saturday ahead of a game against the San Jose Sharks. That’s the first real indication that it’s not a matter of if Kane is dealt, but when. Several things have to happen before Kane can don a Blue Shirt but one of the dominoes has already fallen. New York forward Jake Leschyshyn officially cleared waivers for the Rangers, helping to clear more cap space for Kane’s expected arrival.
The trade itself likely won’t be executed before Wednesday. It could even come closer to Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline because the salary cap implications improve with each passing day. That’s because the Rangers are working with tiny margins to make Kane fit under the cap. As it stands, Chicago would have to agree to some salary retention and even a third team would be needed to take on another 25%.
Kane’s Chicago days likely over
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have three games this week including road outings against the Ducks and Coyotes, and a Thursday home game against the Stars. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Kane isn’t expected to play.
It’s already hitting some fans pretty hard:
The Patrick Kane trade is going to sting but he did everything & more for us, even tho he’s one of my favorite athletes of all time I’m actually already at peace with it.. the state of the blackhawks makes it easier to deal with, all good things must come to an end
— Payton🧦 (@SoxBearPayton) February 25, 2023
The 34-year old Kane is a 16-year veteran He’s won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks and was the first American born player to win the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) and was the MVP of the 2013 Stanley Cup finals. Kane also captured the Art Ross Trophy. He’s led the league in scoring and is a past NHL rookie of the year (2008). He also represented the United States at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Jack Johnson on the move
The Blackhawks traded Johnson back to the Colorado Avalanche, the team that the defenseman won a Stanley Cup with last season. The durable Johnson logged the second most minutes on the team this season behind Seth Jones. Chicago receivese dfenseman Andreas Englund who has a team leading 105 hits with three assists in 36 games this season.
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