Blackhawks get bad news after Patrick Kane, Rangers eliminated from postseason

The Chicago Blackhawks are officially in rebuild mode, having moved on from franchise cornerstones Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The start of the 2023-24 season will be the first time since 2007 that neither one of them are a member of the organization. 

While Toews has yet to make a decision on his playing future after he was informed Chicago would not bring him back next year, Kane would be traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for a conditional 2023 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick; the conditional second-round pick would have become a first-round pick in either 2024 or 2025 had Kane been able to help the Rangers win two playoff rounds this year.

However, despite having taken a 2-0 series lead against the rival New Jersey Devils, the Rangers would lose four of the next five games en route to a disappointing first round exit. Kane would contribute a goal and five assists over the course of the series, which came to an end last night with New Jersey's clinching victory in Game 7 at Prudential Center. 

And because of New York's failure to advance, the Blackhawks have also been affected in a negative way. The pick they received from the Rangers for this year's draft will be a second rounder, not a first. 

Kane, who scored five goals and 12 assists in the 19 regular season games he played with New York after being acquired, is now eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.