The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t hiding their interest in a Patrick Kane reunion, and general manager Kyle Davidson made that much clear this week. As Kane works through free agency, Chicago is leaving the door wide open for a return to the place where he became a franchise icon.
“Patrick is someone that our organization, myself, have had a relationship for a long time. I don’t necessarily think it’s right for me to comment on the process he’s going to be running this offseason.
A guy like Kaner has done pretty much everything there is to do in our game. He’s inspired every young player playing hockey today with what he’s accomplished, and he’s earned the right to take his time and make a decision.
We see him very often. He trains at our practice facility in the offseason.
We’ll await his decision, but he knows our door is always open. He’s a Blackhawk at heart for life, even if he’s not wearing our jersey.
We’ve got a great deal of reverence, respect, and love for Patrick Kane, so we’ll leave him to that decision and we’ll see where he ends up when that day comes.”
Kane is reportedly weighing Chicago against the Buffalo Sabres, with the decision coming down to a hometown path or a return to the team where he built his Hall of Fame resume.
In Dallas, Jason Robertson’s next chapter is taking a shorter route for now. The Stars and the winger agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract on Tuesday, a deal that gives both sides another season before they have to settle on something longer term.
The structure matters. Robertson gets top-tier money right away and keeps himself positioned for unrestricted free agency if things go that way.
Dallas, meanwhile, gets more time to work through a tricky financial setup. There’s no trade protection in the deal, which means Robertson could become a trade candidate if extension talks don’t move during the season.
The contract also puts Robertson in a strong spot to bet on himself. Another huge year would only raise his value and add more pressure on the Stars to lock in a long-term answer.
Dallas is already projected to be over the salary cap, so more roster moves will be needed before the season starts. And beyond that, the bigger issue is what happens next. Robertson can begin extension talks as early as January 1, but if those discussions stall, the Stars may be forced to consider bigger moves, including a trade.
Elsewhere, rising prospect Matthew Schaefer is showing no interest in getting caught up in the money talk that has surrounded recent NHL megadeals for players like Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson. When asked about his own future contract, Schaefer brushed it aside.
“I’ll let my agent think about that. I don’t need to think about that, I’m still a kid, I’m still a year away from any of that,” Schaefer said.
He followed that up with a message that was more about the game than the paycheck:
“I love Long Island; we have something so special going on there. I don’t care about the money.
I just want to play the game of hockey, and that’s what I love. If you’re just playing hockey and having fun, that’s all that matters, honestly, and being with the right people, the right coaches, the right management.
At the end of the day, it’s family and we want to create something super special on Long Island and we want to win the Stanley Cup. You just want to win a Cup and go as far as you can with the team.”
For now, Schaefer is keeping the focus on development and winning, not the size of the next deal.
In Other News...
Stars Fans Can Finally Exhale Over Jason Robertson's Situation
Jason Robertsons summer had plenty of moving parts, and for a while it was fair to wonder how long the Stars would have to wait for clarity. The restricted free agent had filed for arbitration, a sign the process could have dragged deeper into the offseason, while other teams kept circling and Dallas had every reason to treat his case as a priority.
Instead, the sides found a way to settle before the hearing, giving the Stars a cleaner runway and giving Robertson the chance to keep building on a season in which he scored 45 goals. For Dallas, the important part is simple: one of its most dangerous forwards is still in the fold, and a situation that could have turned into a bigger distraction has been put to rest for now. [Read more 🡒]