The Chicago Blackhawks need offense, and they need it now.
That urgency got sharper this week after Connor Bedard had shoulder surgery on Wednesday, a setback that is expected to keep him out until the middle of November. Losing a player with that kind of scoring punch leaves a real hole in a forward group that has already had trouble putting the puck in the net in recent years.
So if Kyle Davidson is looking for help, the list of possible answers includes a very familiar name: Patrick Kane.
Kane is already a Blackhawks legend, and most of that legacy was built in Chicago after the club took him first overall in 2007. He stayed with the organization through 2023, when he was traded away, and in that span he piled up a Hart Trophy, three Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy.
His career totals are just as eye-catching: 508 goals, 892 assists and 1,400 points in 1,369 games. There’s no question he belongs in the conversation among the greatest American-born players ever.
And this isn’t a case of chasing a name from the past. Kane is 37, but he still produced last season for the Detroit Red Wings, finishing with 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games. Put him in a more clearly offensive role - power play time, top-six minutes, favorable zone starts - and that kind of production would make sense again in Chicago.
The fit with Bedard is interesting, too. Even-strength minutes together wouldn’t be automatic once Bedard returns, but the two would almost certainly share power-play time.
Kane would also bring something the Blackhawks’ young core could use beyond scoring. He has lived through the full range of NHL seasons: the long playoff runs, the championship nights, and the disappointments that come with them. That kind of experience would matter for Bedard, as well as Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, Artyom Levshunov and the rest of Chicago’s young players.
A reunion with the Detroit Red Wings does not appear to be in the cards. That leaves the Blackhawks and Kane’s hometown Buffalo Sabres as the two teams most closely tied to him right now.
Of course, one phone call can change everything, and another team could still jump into the mix. But for the moment, Chicago stands out as a team with a clear need and a familiar landing spot for a player who still makes plenty of sense.
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