After their trade for Max Pacioretty this summer, the Carolina Hurricanes thought that they had finally found the answer to their goal-scoring issues. However, life is never as easy as that and it has been announced that Pacioretty is going to miss 6 months with an Achilles tear.
With Pacioretty out, until the trade deadline, the Hurricanes are going to need to find that help elsewhere. With no one down with their AHL affiliate in the Chicago Wolves being able to fill the shoes of the projected 30-goal scorer right?
Across the Windy City, there is an NHL team that is starting to embrace a rebuild as the Chicago Blackhawks’ general manager Kyle Davidsson is trading everything that isn’t nailed down. Having shifted two pieces of the Blackhawks’ forward core last year already, it has been rumored that the two core pieces of the Stanley Cup Championships could be dealt away at the deadline, and one just so happens to fill the needs of the Hurricanes.
One of the best goal scorers in NHL history, one of the best US-born players to ever take to the ice, and a player that still managed to collect 92 points on a team that was absolutely falling apart at the seams last season. If you do not know who I am referring to at this point, it is a former Calder, Pearson, Hart, Art Ross, Conn Smythe, and 3-time Stanley cup winner Patrick Kane.
With that kind of resume, it is no wonder that the Buffalo, New York native is considered a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame and probably a first-ballot guy. But as his illustrious career is winding down, he may not want to endure a rebuild out on the shores of Lake Michigan and may look to leave Chicago this season. As a 92-point producer, Kane could bring a lot of what the Canes need if they make this move.
Assuming Chicago is willing to eat half of his cap hit, you could reasonably get the 33-year-old at a cap hit somewhere in the region of $5.25 million. While that would make it awkward to activate Pacioretty taking on this extra money if you can make the cap hits equal or get a second team to retain even further to something like $2.65 million it makes it a lot more reasonable to manage that cap hit.
This would not be cheap, my guess is that you’re starting with a 1st round pick this year, probably Philadelphia’s 2nd round pick next year. Then you’re looking at prospects formerly drafted in the early first or late second round. Or if they weren’t, prospects that have developed and built their stock up a lot. You may also be able to include a player to even out the cap hit. You will likely have to add depending on how much the cap hit you want to move out is.
However, if you agree to a deal with Chicago for Kane, it is still not quite that simple. Kane has a full no-movement clause so he would have to sign off on any deal for him to be dealt away. However, you’d hope leaving a rebuilding team like Chicago for a contender and a shot to continue adding to his resume while being a key contributor should persuade him to leave the only organization he’s ever known at the NHL level.
All in all, it’s doable, and it makes sense. Carolina would likely have to ship out salary to make this deal work. I’m not sure how you would get under the cap when Max Pacioretty is healthy, but that could even be addressed at the deadline. We’ll see what happens. One thing is for sure. We thought with the RFAs signed summer could start, but the Carolina Hurricanes are not done yet.