Bringing Patrick Kane back to Chicago was supposed to be one of those rare moves that made everybody happy. The fans got their franchise legend back, Connor Bedard got a future Hall of Famer to learn from, and the Blackhawks added another offensive weapon to a team desperate for scoring.
Eleven games into the season, the reunion has been considerably more enjoyable than the hockey.
Kane's return hasn't changed the Blackhawks' biggest weakness
Chicago's 3-8 start is hardly what general manager Kyle Davidson envisioned when he brought Kane back on a two-year, $16 million contract.
And it's not as though the 37-year-old has forgotten how to play hockey.
Kane recently became the NHL's all-time assists leader among American-born players. He added another helper Sunday against Florida, setting up Roman Kantserov's fourth goal of the season alongside Bedard.
Those are the moments Chicago hoped to see.
Unfortunately, they've been surrounded by an awful lot of losing.
The Blackhawks dropped their third consecutive game Sunday, falling 3-2 to the Panthers. Their power play went 0-for-7, which is almost impressive considering how many opportunities they had to get something going.
Kane has one goal through 11 games and carries a minus-13 rating. Those numbers aren't entirely his doing, but they illustrate how little Chicago's offensive additions have translated into consistent results.
And that brings up an uncomfortable question.
What exactly is this rebuild supposed to look like when it finally starts working?
Chicago can't keep waiting for its young talent to figure everything out
Nobody expected Kane to single-handedly turn the Blackhawks into Stanley Cup contenders. That would've been a ridiculous expectation even five years ago.
But the idea was that his presence would help accelerate the development of Chicago's younger players.
Bedard is entering his fourth NHL season. Frank Nazar has another year of experience. Kantserov is already showing flashes of what he could become.
There's legitimate talent here.
Yet Chicago continues making the same mistakes that have plagued the organization throughout its rebuild. Defensive breakdowns, inconsistent scoring and an inability to finish close games keep turning competitive performances into losses.
Sunday offered another example.
The Blackhawks had opportunities to take the lead late against Florida. Instead, a poorly executed line change helped produce the Panthers' winning goal.
That's not something Kane can fix with another highlight-reel pass.
The Blackhawks need progress, not another year of promises
There's still plenty of hockey left, and Chicago has dealt with injuries to important players, including Bedard and Bowen Byram.
But at some point, patience has to produce something resembling progress.
Kane's return was never supposed to represent the future of the franchise. He's here to help the players who will eventually carry it.
The concern is that Chicago still looks far too dependent on individual talent to overcome problems that should have been addressed collectively.
Kane can provide leadership, create scoring opportunities and give fans a reason to enjoy watching this team again.
What he can't do is rebuild the Blackhawks a second time.
That's Davidson's responsibility, and the early results suggest there's considerably more work ahead than anyone in Chicago wanted to believe.
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