Despite the ongoing rape investigation, the swirling rumors that the franchise has lost their patience with him and the consistent trade speculation, it seems Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane is unlikely to end up in another NHL uniform - or out on the street - any time in the near future. The Blackhawks and Kane will remain a pair for the foreseeable future as Kane won't waive his full no-move clause, according to a report from The Fourth Period.
Kane, along with Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension with the team last offseason that kicks in this year. It carries a no-trade clause and TFP, citing "two well-placed sources," suggests that Kane has no intention of waiving it so that the team can send him to a new hockey home.
A report earlier this week from Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times suggested that the Hawks and GM Stan Bowman, ever the image conscious characters, were "out of patience" with Kane and had begun to feel "disrespected" by the unenviable position he'd put them in with his off-the-ice choices. While Kane has not been charged with a crime, there's no denying the negative attention that has been brought to the organization via the ongoing rape investigation in Hamburg, NY, of which Kane is a main focus.
The report also suggested that "at least five" teams had contacted Bowman to gauge Kane's availability in the wake of the sexual assault debacle.
The interest from elsewhere around the league makes sense - Kane's an elite scorer who has been integral to the Blackhawks success in recent seasons, aiding them considerably in their three Cup wins over the last six seasons - as does the franchise's frustration with his off-ice antics - this isn't the first time Kane has gotten in trouble during the offseason, having plead guilty to assaulting a cab driver a few short seasons ago - but the idea of Kane ending up on another NHL roster at this point seems not just farfetched, but nearly impossible.
