As the investigation around Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane extends into its fourth week, questions about the star forward’s future, both off the ice and on it, have been plenty.
Kane, who has not been charged, was reportedly accused of raping a woman in his home on Aug. 2. Local police and the district attorney’s office have been tight-lipped about the investigation and will likely remain so until a decision is reached on whether to file charges or not. Developments in the case have been hard to come by. However, according to a report, Kane and his lawyer recently met with investigators.
The fallout over the allegations so far has included Kane being removed from the cover of EA Sports' NHL 16 video game. Additionally, his junior team, the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, removed Kane's name from one of their four camp teams named after alumni.
Neither the Blackhawks nor the NHL has revealed much about their intentions in terms of how they’ll react to this ongoing situation, but speculation continues to rise that even if Kane is not charged, his time in Chicago may be over.
Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times added more fuel to that fire by reporting the following:
At least five teams contacted the Hawks once the Buffalo News first reported the investigation — which involves Kane and a woman at his Hamburg home — and said they’d be willing trade partners should the Hawks decide to cut ties with their superstar winger, according to a league source.
It certainly doesn’t look good that teams were apparently so eager to jump at this opportunity to exploit a situation in which a player has been accused (and, again, not charged) of rape. Such is the callousness in the business that is professional sports, one supposes. It still doesn’t sit right.
Those thoughts aside, trading Kane after this latest episode is something the Chicago brass is probably already considering. It doesn't mean they'd pull the trigger on a deal, but it's worthy of critical thought. The player has already gotten himself into hot water on multiple occasions prior to these more serious allegations.
There was the alleged assault of a cab driver in 2009 and Kane’s highly-publicized Cinco de Mayo trip to Madison, Wis., which ended in embarrassment for both the player and the team. Perhaps these allegations are the final blow to a team that had shown patience with Kane despite these embarrassments.
Kane is supposed to enter the first year of his eight-year, $84 million contract in 2015-16. That comes with a $10.5 million cap hit.
Clearly, nothing would happen until the investigation concludes. If Kane is charged with a crime, or even as the investigation continues, he could be suspended indefinitely by the NHL. If the case goes to trial, it could mean a lengthy absence due to the suspension and could end in Kane going to prison. If it ever got to that point, the NHL may have reason to void Kane's contract.
All of that remains unknown, though. That said, if Kane does come away from this without being charged, he’s going to be given the chance to resume his hockey career. It just might not be in Chicago.
As Lazerus reports, this could be the end for the phenom in the city where he became a three-time Stanley Cup champion, playoff MVP, rookie of the year and one of the league’s biggest stars.
More from the Sun-Times:
Kane’s on-ice legacy is already secure at just 26 years old. He helped bring three Stanley Cups to Chicago. He helped revitalize hockey in Chicago. He’s a true superstar, a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-him player like few before him. He’s always been good to fans, he’s always been close with his teammates, he’s always been one of the hardest workers on the team. But there’s an off-ice responsibility, too. One Kane hasn’t lived up to. As one team source put it, he “disrespected” the team and his teammates by once again putting himself in a bad situation.
Any other player, it would probably be different. But as that source put it, the Hawks have run out of patience.
And in the hypothetical that the Blackhawks do decide to trade Kane, it would have to be a unique deal. Kane’s massive $10.5 million cap hit would be tough for a lot of teams to fit. But that could end up morbidly benefitting the Blackhawks. If they’re going to trade away one of their biggest stars, the return would have to be substantial, even if the team makes it known they wish to part ways with the Kane.
For now, the focus remains on the legal process, though. That the investigation remains incomplete after nearly a month leaves what comes next a complete mystery. Once a decision is reached by the district attorney, the next course of action for Kane, the Blackhawks and the NHL will be more apparent. Until then, we wait.
