A reported 6 teams in negotiations to land Jonathan Toews

Chicago Blackhawks franchise icons Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have both featured prominently in trade rumors this season for a couple reasons.

First off, the Blackhawks are AWFUL. They're the worst team in the NHL and have absolutely zero chance of competing for a Stanley Cup anytime soon. Because of this and because Toews and Kane are born winners, it makes sense to move them on so that the team can recoup some future assets in exchange for their freedom. Secondly, both Toews and Kane are scheduled to hit the open market as free agents this upcoming offseason. That means that if Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson wants to guarantee that he gets a return on these players, he needs to move them ahead of the March 3rd trade deadline.

So connecting all those dots and it's obvious to see why these two players have made headlines this season.

In the case of Kane, there is reportedly interest from several teams but NHL insider David Pagnotta is reporting that the strongest push has come from the New York Rangers and the Dallas Stars and Pagnotta himself believes that Kane will end up in one of these two markets.

As for Toews, Shayno Goldman of The Athletic reports today that the Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars have all engaged in trade talks with the Blackhawks on a potential deal for the longtime Chicago captain.

The problem is... are the players on board? There have been reports that Toews at least does NOT want to leave Chicago and may end up retiring from the NHL once his contract expires this upcoming offseason. As for Kane, his agent Pat Brisson has warned teams that his client hasn't made up his mind on what to do in the future and likely won't know what his plans are right up until the trade deadline.

From Blackhawks insider Mark Lazerus:

Honestly, I could 100% see both Kane and Toews staying put in Chicago. Or simply walking away from the game entirely.

Toews and Kane don't seem too comfortable with all the trade talk and have mostly declined to comment on any reports about their future(s). To me they're both dyed in the wool Blackhawks and I think they'd prefer to simply retire this offseason as Blackhawks then to sign a short-term deal elsewhere for just one more kick at the can. After all, what else is there left for these two guys to accomplish at the NHL level? They could retire today and they'd both still be headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame and they'd both have their numbers retired by the Blackhawks. Then again... I could have said the same thing about Duncan Keith just two years ago and we all know how the end of his career played out. To me though... there's just something different about Kane and Toews.