What we’re hearing about the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Jake McCabe and more

Patrick Kane’s open disappointment at the Rangers’ trade for Vladimir Tarasenko — more than three weeks before the March 3 trade deadline — was the clearest signal yet that the Blackhawks’ star is strongly considering asking out of Chicago. Typically, these kinds of trades are consummated in the final few days — or hours — before the deadline, but the Bo Horvat and Tarasenko trades have ratcheted up the pressure on Kane and Jonathan Toews to make a decision and for general manager Kyle Davidson to act accordingly.

Here’s the latest we’re hearing

— The Blackhawks aren’t fully convinced Kane or Toews are going to ask to be traded. They feel like Kane is about 50/50 to ask out. Toews has lower odds than that.

— The New York Rangers were obviously an optimal destination for Kane with Artemi Panarin there. Neither Kane nor the Blackhawks expected the Rangers to make a move so early. Still, that was always a possibility, and it remains a possibility that other potential Kane suitors might not have the patience to wait for his timeline. The longer Kane waits to make a decision and possibly hand over a list of teams to Kyle Davidson, the less likely Davidson will be able to get a deal done.

— That list of teams isn’t expected to be long. It might not be exactly a Claude Giroux situation when the Flyers captain basically said “Florida or bust,” but if Kane chooses to waive, it’ll be two or three teams tops. As Kane said on Friday morning, “I mean, you sign a contract with a no-movement clause, no-trade clause for a reason, right? (Otherwise) I would have done a 16-team no-trade clause.”

— There are several teams for which Kane could make sense, but that doesn’t always mean there’s real interest there. Four teams with confirmed interest are Carolina, Dallas, Minnesota and Vegas. The question is, of course, is Kane willing to go to any of those teams?

— Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty are the most intriguing of the Blackhawks who have more than a year left on their contracts. The Blackhawks are open to moving them, but they don’t anticipate any possible action on them until right up to the deadline. If teams miss out on their first options, players such as Lafferty and McCabe could be fallback plans. The Blackhawks aren’t going to just take anything for them, either. Whether it’s draft picks or prospects, the Blackhawks will want something they feel can make them better in the years to come. The Blackhawks believe their willingness to retain half of McCabe’s $4-million salary, making him a $2-million player for the next two seasons, should command a significant return. McCabe can list seven teams to which he can refuse a trade.

— Andreas Athanasiou is another player who probably doesn’t get much traction until near the deadline. His stock could improve with a few more games like Friday’s. He was a threat nearly anytime he touched the puck the last two periods and finished with a goal, two assists and eight shots on net. Teams obviously have a good idea of what Athanasiou is as a player, but playing well near the deadline usually doesn’t hurt. The Blackhawks acquired Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann at the deadline in 2016 after Stan Bowman took a liking to both players while scouting a Montreal Canadiens game.

— Forward prospect Frank Nazar, the No. 13 overall pick in 2022, made his season debut for the University of Michigan on Friday after being out all season with an injury. There haven’t been any discussions yet, but Nazar likely will return to Michigan for his sophomore season. The positive for the Blackhawks and Nazar is the Wolverines are one of the country’s top teams and that should mean plenty of competitive hockey for him in the next two months.

— Forward prospect Ryder Rolston recently suffered a broken collarbone to end his junior season at Notre Dame. He’s one of a handful of college prospects the Blackhawks could sign this year. The Blackhawks are going to wait until Notre Dame’s season ends to discuss possibilities for Rolston.

— Rolston’s Notre Dame teammate Landon Slaggert is another possible player the Blackhawks could sign this spring. Slaggert was having a rough offensive season, but he’s come on as of late. He has four goals and three assists in his last nine games. In his first 20 games this season, he had two goals and two assists.

— Forward prospect Max Shalunov — yes, the 30-year-old is still technically a prospect — is one goal shy of setting the single-season goal record for Lokomotiv in the KHL. He has 27 goals in 57 games. Curious if Shalunov’s season might intrigue the Blackhawks again, I recently inquired if there was any chance they’d sign him. I was told, “No chance.” So, that’s that.

(Top photo of Jake McCabe and Patrick Kane: Jamie Sabau / USA Today)