Could Patrick Kane return to the Chicago Blackhawks? Why he might & might not
Reacting to a Blackhawks trade & the Bulls' draft | Chicago Sports Tonight
Tuesday was a busy night in Chicago. The Bulls drafted two players in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. The Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade to acquire Bowen Byram. Cassie, Sam and Chris break it down.
Chicago Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios turned heads on Wednesday morning. He alluded to something 'Hawks fans would be elated to see.
That would be Patrick Kane in a Blackhawks uniform.
Chelios, a former Blackhawks legend who had his jersey retired by the franchise, spoke on 104.3 The Score about a potential reunion with Kane. Something once thought to be unlikely could happen in the near future as Kane, an unrestricted free agent, is nearing a new home.
"I am not gonna lie to you guys, it is down to Buffalo and Chicago," Chelios said on The Score. "I know that."
Kane sporting a Blackhawks sweater would immediately re-energize the fanbase which has had little to cheer about recently.
But, would Kane return to Chicago? It depends on what he wants in the final throes of his career.
Local perspective:
There's no secret the Blackhawks wanted to move on from the old era. The sexual assault scandal marred the best decade in franchise history.
Kane, one of the faces of that era, was traded to the New York Rangers. He then moved on to the Detroit Red Wings. Now, as an unrestricted free agent with just two or three years left in his career, he can be picky about what he wants.
If Kane wants to win another Stanley Cup, he probably doesn't choose to return to Chicago.
But, there's so much Kane can do aside from winning a Cup in Chicago.
Kane has scored the second-most points in Blackhawks franchise history. He sits behind Stan Mikita's 1,467 points scored. Kane needs to score 243 points to take over that top spot. Kane scored 57 points last season, so he'd most likely need a few really productive seasons to eclipse that mark.
In Chicago, Kane would immediately be a top-six forward, which would give him that chance. He'd eventually play next to Connor Bedard, which would give the Blackhawks' star an established veteran winger to play with.
Kane most likely can't absolve how the golden era of Blackhawks hockey ended. But, he can finish his career with a chance to be the undisputed best Blackhawks player to ever skate for the franchise.
The other side:
If Kane wants to go out a Stanley Cup Champion, however, Buffalo would be the better bet of the two.
Last year, the Sabres finished the year with a 50-23-9 record. They won the Atlantic Division title, and lost in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the Montreal Canadiens in a seven-game series.
This means Buffalo's Stanley Cup window is open behind a core of players like Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Josh Doan and Jack Quinn, who all scored 50 or more points last year. For reference, only two Blackhawks players (Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi) finished the season scoring over 50 points.
Buffalo's best players are also playing at a high level. Dahlin finished ninth in the Hart Trophy voting as the NHL's MVP and third in the Norris Trophy voting as the NHL's best defenseman.
There's no guarantee that Buffalo will make a deep playoff run. However, Buffalo could still make a move that vaults them further into championship contention during the offseason.
Kane is also a Buffalo native. Logically, it makes sense for him to choose the Sabres if he wants to hoist a fourth Stanley Cup.
By the numbers:
Kane played for 16 seasons in Chicago, suiting up for 1,161 games.
In those games, Kane scored 446 goals, dished 779 assists and scored 1,225 points. He also won, and won plenty. Kane was a three-time Stanley Cup Champion from his time in Chicago, and was the Conn Smythe winner as the 2013 Playoff MVP. He's currently second in Blackhawks' franchise history in points scored.
Individually, he won the Hart Trophy in 2016 as the NHL MVP, while also winning the 2016 NHL scoring title. Before that, he was the 2008 NHL Rookie of the Year after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2007 NHL Draft.