3 Chicago Blackhawks that could sweeten a Patrick Kane trade

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Jonathan Toews #19, Alex DeBrincat #12 and Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate DeBrincat's second period, power play goal against the Washington Capitals at the United Center on December 15, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Jonathan Toews #19, Alex DeBrincat #12 and Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrate DeBrincat's second period, power play goal against the Washington Capitals at the United Center on December 15, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Blackhawks are a team that could go through some major changes over the summer. Once the Stanley Cup is awarded, all bets are off. If they are going to rebuild the right way, there are going to be some tough decisions made by the team.

It is hard to rebuild with certain players on the roster because those guys are ones that you consider “win now” players. Patrick Kane is a guy that you would consider a “win now” guy and it is fair to wonder if he will want to stick around for that hard of a rebuild.

If the Blackhawks went the route of trading him, it might be hard to find someone who can afford ten million dollars on the books for a whole season. They might need to add a prospect in order to sweeten the pot otherwise they would have to retain on him.

The Blackhawks have a lot of young players that they can package with Kane to get a better return and get a team to take on the full contract for the duration of the 2022-23 season. These are the three players that Chicago can use in this situation:

51. player. 94. . D. Chicago Blackhawks. Ian Mitchell

Teams might be interested in landing Chicago Blackhawks prospect Ian Mitchell.

The Chicago Blackhawks, if they hang onto him, are hoping that Ian Mitchell is able to become a really good NHL defenseman. He wasn’t brilliant when he made his NHL debut but he was an impact player at the NCAA and AHL levels now.

It is clear that the potential to be a great NHL defenseman is there but he needs to get that chance once again. After the way that things went for him with the Rockford Ice Hogs this year, you’d have to think that he does get that chance again.

If the Hawks wanted to get rid of Kane for a good return without retaining any salary, Ian Mitchell is someone that you can send with him to sweeten the pot. He would make any team happy as a bottom-pair defenseman with the potential to become more than that.