Leafs defenseman reveals that Patrick Kane still has plenty of gas left in the tank
With Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko off the market, Patrick Kane and Timo Meier remain the two biggest names heading into the trade deadline for any team looking to upgrade their top-6. The Toronto Maple Leafs have expressed serious interest in both players and while Meier is the younger of the 2, has attracted a bidding war, and would cost a lot more to acquire, Kane has narrowed his list down to the Leafs and the New York Rangers.
The Blackhawks haven't been good since 2016-17 when they won 50 games but lost in the first round of the playoffs. They've missed the playoffs 4 of the following 5 seasons with the sole exception being the expanded COVID bubble playoffs and are going to be in the running for Connor Bedard this season.
Patrick Kane has still shown out and produced elite numbers for the downtrodden Blackhawks in that span with 188 goals and 552 points through 498 games. He has been dealing with injuries this season but he also has almost no help around him, which explains his 9 goals and 35 points in 49 games this season.
Mark Giordano of the Maple Leafs would be more than enthralled if they were to acquire his services ahead of the trade deadline:
"Oh, I think he's an impact player... His numbers are gonna reflect where the team is as a whole, but I still look at him as an elite player. One of the best players in the game still."
Giordano is absolutely correct because even with the Blackhawks toiling in the basement of the league, Kane put up 110 points in 2018-19, 84 in the shortened season in 2019-20, 66 in 56 games in 2020-21, and 92 points last season. The Blackhawks have taken the rebuild very seriously and they've torn down every fragment of the team outside of Kane and Jonathan Toews - both of whom will be traded this season.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Kane at 50% salary retention is still 5.25 million so the Leafs will have to be a little more creative but he is also a 3-time Cup winner, won the Art Ross, Pearson, and Hart trophies in 2015-16, has a Conn Smythe to his name, was named to the NHL's 100th Anniversary team, and has 136 playoff games under his belt, scoring 52 goals and 132 points.
