Patrick Kane getting moved to Canada prior to the trade deadline?

Allan Mitchell of the Athletic has made a bold trade suggestion ahead of the March 7 deadline and a lot of fans are getting on board with it. Especially Oilers’ fans. That’s because Mitchell believes Edmonton should attempt to acquire Detroit Red Wings veteran star forward Patrick Kane in a trade to boost their offence ahead of the deadline. Mitchell writes:

“Kane as a complementary winger on, say, the McDavid line would allow the trio to enter the zone, maintain puck possession and set up passing opportunities. If teams double cover McDavid (as is happening more often this season), Kane is a player who can push the river and get results.”

He adds later on:

“Knoblauch is a coach with an eye on goal suppression, but these Oilers can’t soar without a high-scoring No. 1 line. Patrick Kane could be part of the solution.”

When asked about his trade deadline plans, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman revealed earlier this week he’s focused on adding depth, though he did not rule out the possibility of acquiring a big name player.

“We have been fortunate — knock on wood — to not have many guys injured all year. We hope that continues. But you look around the league and you see some teams have five or six guys out at a time. When that happens is when you’re going to be tested the most,” Bowman said. “I don’t think we have any glaring issues. If you look at our roster, it’s not like, ‘Wow, there’s this huge hole that they have to go fill that.’ I would say it’s maybe a little different than that, and it’s more what types of players are available? How would they fit with your group? What would that change for your guys that you already have? How could their roles morph into something different, and could that make you a better team if you did that? That’s what we’re analyzing right now.

“It may not be a big-name addition — or it may be. It’s still a little bit early to try to prognosticate that. I’m looking at a lot of different options, and we’re not ruling things out. But we’re also realizing that we have a lot of good players here. But that can change quick if you have a few injuries.”

Nothing hints at the certainy of Kane being moved ahead of the deadline, especially since the Red Wings still have a shot at taking part in the postseason. However, with the tight race in the Eastern conference, if Detroit falls out before March 7, then Kane could indeed accept to be traded, and could land in Edmonton.

Stay tuned…