Answers are (reportedly) on the way.
After days and weeks and months of speculation, it appears we’re finally getting closer to knowing what is going to happen with Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.
Appearing on TSN in Canada, hockey insider Pierre LeBrun relayed what he was told in a conversation with Pat Brisson, who is Kane’s agent:
A decision is coming from Patrick Kane “relatively soon,” which makes sense, again, given that we’re just over three weeks from the trade deadline. And that decision, again, could be whether he’s comfortable in being traded from Chicago or that he wants to stay put for the rest of the year and figure out his future later this summer. The other thing that Pat Brisson added is that teams that are interested in Kane and that make the shortlist will have 7-10 days ahead of the deadline to prepare themselves for a possible transaction.
Video of LeBrun’s appearance is available here.
Brisson is also the agent for Jonathan Toews, so it’s fair to assume that a similar decision on Toews’ future may be arriving, to use Brisson’s words, “relatively soon” as well.
This all makes sense considering that the trade deadline is now less than four weeks away, arriving on March 3. And the Blackhawks’ front office needs ample time to adjust its plan for said deadline based on whether or not a trade of these two franchise cornerstones is going to happen, because Toews and Kane hold all of the cards in this particular game of poker.
Questions remain aplenty regarding this entire situation, with perhaps the most important one regarding the physical health of both players. There have been multiple places within the last week that have speculated about Kane’s hip and the rigors of a playoff chase are sure as hell not going to help the ailments affecting the now 34-year-old Kane. Toews has had some health issues recently as well, with the captain out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
February is going to be an interesting month around these parts, it seems.