Chicago Blackhawks: Could they trade Toews or Kane?

Is it time for the Chicago Blackhawks to trade Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane?

On Tuesday, the Chicago Blackhawks did something that they are not well known for doing. They were somewhat honest with their fans in a memo given out online. It explained that they planned on rebuilding the roster so that they can get back into contention like they were a few years back. It might be painful but things are going to start to look different. The problem is, it is very difficult to see them executing a rebuild properly with some of the veterans still left on the team.

How does a team with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on it rebuild the right way? They are both still so good and give their team a chance to win every single day. It is hard to rebuild properly when two legendary winners are on your roster. There is even a chance that they don’t agree with the moves that the organization makes long term.

For those reasons, it feels time to get rid of those two. They are both legendary players to this organization and will be forever. They will walk into the Hall of Fame, have their numbers retired, and perhaps even have statues out there on United Center property. With that said, they both want to win and the Blackhawks aren’t going to be doing much of that for a while.

There are plenty of teams that would probably take on both of these players. Each of them has a cap hit of 10.5 million for the next three years. It is a little easier to manage for Kane because of the offensive statistics he puts up but they are both bringing tremendous value to whatever organization they play for. Even if the Hawks had to retain a million dollars or two, they would both get them a good haul of assets if they decided to move one or both.

Kane, as previously mentioned, is still an offensive superstar. He has 1022 points in 973 career games played. Last year, he had 33 goals and 51 assists for 84 points in 70 games. He probably would have crept towards 100 points if the season was allowed to be played out in full. For the final three years remaining on his contract, he should still be able to contribute numbers similar to that no matter where he goes. Kane’s vision, hands, and decision making on the ice aren’t slowing down any time soon.

Toews is a very different player than Kane. You use Toews in all situations which is something that other teams would be very interested in if the Hawks made him available. He can win you a faceoff, score a big goal, or make a backcheck to save a game. Every team in the league hopes that they can one day find a center that brings them what Toews has brought to the Hawks. In addition to all of those things he has brought on the ice, he has been one of the greatest leaders/captains in the history of the NHL.

It is no lock that the Hawks decide to let either of these two go but their value won’t ever be as high as it is now with three years left on their deal in their early 30s. It won’t be pretty to see them go but if their plan is to rebuild, doing it the right way might be ugly at times.