xWe are just 8 days way from the NHL Trade Deadline and it almost feels as if we are in the calm before the storm, not just in Chicago but league-wide. Lots of rumors floating around and anyone with an audience trying to get click throwing out their takes as legit rumors. This is an exhausting time to be a fan of hockey as you really have to shift through the BS and hopefully find some legit rumors that have some sort of backing. Now again, I think that over my time writing for this site covering the Hawks, I have made it clear that I am just another fan like you all. I am lucky enough that I have made some connections through my day job that I can find out if something is true or not, but I am not the person who will be told inside info. So everything I report here is the same information that you are seeing and I hope to just give a take on it that will create discussions.
With that being said, the latest rumor I have seen is the Rangers are still very much in play for Patrick Kane. This is being reported by Larry Brooks, who covers the Rangers for the New York Post. Could this be a legit possibility? Taking a look at the Rangers cap situation, they have a projected deadline space of $908,667, so that’s the first issue with this rumor. To make this happen you are going to need to bring in a third team to help retain some of Kaners salary. By doing that you could get his cap hit going to New York all the way down to 2.625 million. Now this is more manageable, but there will still need to be some work done. With out really following this team, I couldn’t give a clear answer on who they could move to make this work. I know Kaapo has been thrown out there at times, but are they ready to let the 22-year-old former 2nd overall pick go already for a rental?
From my point of view I think if the Rangers where to make a play for Kane, you are going to have some sort of package built around Vitali Kravtov and their 2nd round pick with conditions that it could turn into their remaining 1st round pick based on playoff performance from the team and or Kane. After that, I am not too sure what else could be included to make this deal work money wise. I still believe that for Kane its the Rangers or nothing, and if there can not be a deal made with them he is not going to be leaving the Blackhawks, at least not via trade.
For the time being, the big trade piece in Chicago seems to be fizzling out, which, hey, its fine by me. I hope they can find away to come to a common ground and he can continue to be a Hawk and make a run at Mikita’s all time point record. So what does that mean for KD and his deadline plan? Well, last night he made his first move in another deal with the Senators, bringing aboard Nikita Zaitsev, a 2023 2nd round pick, and a 2026 4th round pick, for cap relief. This was another great move for KD for a few reasons. Landing two draft picks including another 2nd rounder (currently would be the 42nd pick) in this draft for taking on a bad contract is exactly what he needs to be doing. Zaitsev is a below average player that is going to be a game changer for this team; in fact, he might help them lose a few more games if what Senators fans opinions on him are true. Plus, with his contract running through next season, his cap hit of 4.5 million is going to come in handy getting this team to the cap floor next year. Also, with the potential trades for defenders Jake McCabe or Jack Johnson, he is another body to have in the line-up that won’t force them to call up and rush younger defensemen before they are ready to make the jump. With over 16 million in deadline cap space, hopefully he will use this to his advantage to help cap scrapped teams for their playoff run this year. I’m looking at you Boston, who reportedly has a deal in place to land Gavrikov from the Jackets but needs to make another move to free up space.
I think we are going to be getting some answers here very soon on who is going to be moved. Lafferty seems to be the bell of he ball at the moment, and its being reported the asking price for him is a 2nd rounder. I also really think that even if Domi is dealt we have not seen the last of him in the Indian head sweater. He has really loved his time in Chicago and he is a big fan of Coach Richardson. It is believed that he could be brought back as a free agent next off season, so it will be interesting to see if that will affect the return he might get. The only other name that was really buzzing but I haven’t seen much in a little bit is Jake McCabe. With Toews not being moved and looking like Kane isn’t going as well, the Hawks can retain his salary to make him a 2 million dollar player, which should excited a lot of playoff teams in need of defense. However, with the original report of the asking price being a 1st and if there is retained salary its a 1st plus this might be a deal breaker for lots of teams.
That’s my two cents for today. I am sure the minute I post this there will be some major news drop and everything I wrote is irrelevant. So between now and March 3rd, whenever you see some news or rumors, make sure you check to see if its the legit insider and not a parody account. I have been gotten by those more than I like to admit. Buckle in, we are about to have a crazy week!
Check Out the Latest WCBPodcast