TSN: Patrick Kane’s agent Pat Brisson has said to Pierre LeBrun earlier that they’ll take a similar approach to what they did last season with Claude Giroux.
“It’s a very similar approach that we had with Claude (Giroux). We’ll see how things go in Chicago. We’ll see how Patrick feels. We’ll probably explore things at the appropriate time later this season. I don’t want to put too much of a timeline on it.”
Craig Button goes through which teams he thinks should be interested in Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane if he decides he wants to play elsewhere.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“Two things I want to say before we get to the teams. Number one, like Claude Giroux, Patrick Kane is in full control of this process. He’ll decide when and where he goes. Number two, the Blackhawks have the ability to retain up to 50 percent of Patrick’s $10.5 million contract. So that becomes significant.
So now, let’s go teams. I’m going to start in the West.
I’m going to go with the Calgary Flames. Top defensive team. They lost a little bit of offense. Patrick Kane could fit into a spot on Calgary very nicely.
The other team in the West, the LA Kings. You saw what they did last year. They really had a real development year with respect to progress. Who knows what would have happened if they had a Patrick Kane type player in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers? Maybe they’re playing into the second round.
As I go to the East, I think about the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ve struggled to get goals at the time come playoff time. He could certainly add to their offensive prowess.
And the New York Rangers. Patrick Kane on Broadway. They lost Ryan Strome, replaced him with Vincent Trocheck. But you have to keep in mind, Patrick Kane is an elite, elite offensive player. There’s been no falloff in his game. So, his ability to impact a game and to contribute significantly to a teams Stanley Cup chances, or to go deeper in the playoffs, is really strong and he’d be absolutely a great addition to those four teams in my view.”
The host mentions how Button just crushed Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers fans for not mentioning them as a potential team that should go after Kane. Why not those two teams?
“They don’t need him. The Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs should be looking at defensemen. Defensemen. If Patrick Kane was a defenseman of that stature, of that quality, I would say, ‘ya, go after him.’ He’s not a defenseman.
Those two teams have no problem scoring goals. No problem with offense. They don’t need Patrick Kane. They need defensemen.”
** NHLRumors.com transcription