The year 2021 has been a tumultuous one for the Chicago Blackhawks — on and off the ice. The team has stumbled right out of the gate of the 2021-22 NHL season, and it's hard not to think that the fallout of the controversial manner with which the Blackhawks handled the Brad Aldrich situation is negatively affecting the team's performance. If the Blackhawks are going to reset the button at some point, they can begin with exploring the possibility of trading their iconic duo of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, according to a former NHL general manager.
“When you have many players retire wearing only your uniform, then you're in trouble,” one former NHL general manager told ESPN this week. “You're going to have to dangle Toews and Kane out there as the key to winning the Stanley Cup to somebody so that you can reap what you should reap, having paid them so much money through the years and having won your own three Stanley Cups. Give somebody else a chance to get a Cup, but they have to pay.”
Of course, moving Toews and Kane is going to be easier said than done. For one, both are on the wrong side of 30 and have a cap hit of $10.5 million until the end of the 2022-23 NHL season. On top of those, Toews and Kane have no-move clauses on their contracts. And then there's the potential of a massive backlash from Blackhawks fans, who've experienced the highs of being a supporter of the team because of the pair's exploits on the ice.
For now, the Blackhawks can only hope that they can turn their season around. They went winless in their first seven games and are currently 3-9-2 despite making splashy moves in the offseason when they acquired goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Seth Jones.
Follow Us
Subscribe