3 Chicago Blackhawks to trade before the regular season starts

Trading Patrick Kane away from the Chicago Blackhawks would be huge news.

You can argue that Patrick Kane is the greatest player in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks. You can also take it one step further and say that he is the best American-born player to ever lace them up. No matter how you slice it, you have to recognize his greatness.

The thing is, he is still worth every penny of his 10.5 million dollar cap hit. Like Toews, it only has one year left on it. Jones is still a good player but he isn’t worth his cap hit and Toews isn’t even worth half his cap hit anymore. However, Kane is still as elite as they come.

His next contract in the NHL, with the Blackhawks or elsewhere, will still be a lucrative one but it won’t be what he has right now because of his age. Out of these three, he is the easiest to trade and it isn’t even close. In fact, the Hawks would get a really nice haul for moving him.

If they can swing a deal worth first-round picks, high-end prospects, or some combination of both, they should do it right now. Every game that he plays this season decreases his value unless he goes on a tear to start the season. However, if he goes the other way then the team won’t get anything.

Patrick Kane deserves the opportunity to go play for a winner and the Hawks shouldn’t feel bad about any of this stuff as they have a business to run. Kane (and Toews) have a no-move clause so they have the last say but it is something for everyone to consider.

Another positive that would come is the fact that they would be making themselves a worse team by subtracting these guys. That will increase their chances of winning the lottery which should be the ultimate goal anyway. There is a lot to think about here.