Teams inquire about Patrick Kane: his agent makes official statement on situation in Chicago

There have been a lot of changes in Chicago lately. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson pulled off two large trades last week on the draft floor in Montreal. First up, Davidson traded star forward Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the 7th overall pick, a 2nd round and a 3rd pick. Then Davidson shipped out former 3rd overall pick Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for the 13th overall pick and another 2nd round pick. In essence, the Blackhawks loaded up on draft picks by shipping out DeBrincat and Dach.

It didn’t take long after the moves for fans to demand a reaction from veteran players like captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The latter and his agent Pat Brisson only said that they’re “not going to make any decisions or comments at this point.”

A better statement was needed from the fanbase and on Wednesday, amidst the frenzy of the opening day of free agency, Brisson commented some more on his players’ positions. He is also the agent for defenseman Seth Jones.

It was also reported by Frank Seravalli that “number of teams have inquired about Patrick Kane in recent days, but they’ve been told a trade is unlikely at this time.”

Earlier in 2021-22, Toews didn’t hide his disappointment, calling the departures of Brandon Hagel and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury “disheartening”.

There is a honest sense that Toews and Kane would prefer to remain Blackhawks until they retire, but maybe this reconstruction is too much for them. Chicago did however add on at the free agency opening, signing veteran forward Andreas Athanasiou and Max Domi on Wednesday.

Athanasiou, known for his blazing speed, has played with the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings over the course of his career, though he’s been known to have attitude issues. Meanwhile, Chicago will be the 6th NHL stop in the career for Domi, who has already suited up with the Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes.

Maybe that’s what Brisson meant when he stated that his clients need to absorb everything that’s happening on the Hawks’ roster.

There is a sense that if Kane and Toews ever want to be traded, it’s more likely to happen at the trade deadline. Chicago could then choose to take on some of Kane and Toews’ cap hits and plenty of Stanley Cup contenders will be lining up for them as rentals.

This will be a hot topic to watch all season long.