Deal or no deal: Blackhawks GM Davidson should hold out for best-case scenario for Kane trade
Oh, to be a fly on the wall inside the Blackhawks' offices right now.
It seems some out there believe this is the type of conversation that transpired over the weekend:
“Good morning, Kyle Davidson here.”
Hey, Kyle. This is Chris Drury, general manager of the New York Rangers.
“Great to hear from you, Chris. Let's get this thing done.”
“Absolutely. So here's how I see it: Patrick Kane wants to join our team. And only our team. He really, really, really wants to play with Artemi Panarin again — a fact the entire league has known since your previous GM jettisoned Panarin to the Blue Jackets.
“With this being the only option, we are willing to send you a fourth-round pick in 2023 and a sixth-rounder in 2024.
“And, OK. We'll throw in a few dozen pucks. And what's your favorite coffee joint?”
“Dunkin' Donuts.”
“Perfect! We'll include a $250 gift certificate. Sounds like a slam Dunk of a deal, eh?”
“Gee, I don't know, Chris. That's not nearly enough for one of the best American-born players of all time. I need a first-round pick this year.”
“Nope.”
“Second rounder?”
“Nope”
“Third?”
“Nope. That's our final offer. Take it or leave it.”
“Oh, OK. But can you make sure the pucks are really shiny and nice?”
• • •
Back to reality for a second — obviously, the return for Kane will be more than my little made-up scenario. But Davidson shouldn't sit back and accept whatever mediocre deal the Rangers toss out.
What Davidson SHOULD know is what Vegas, Dallas, Los Angeles and others are willing to offer.
It would be ludicrous not to know this extremely important information before dealing with Drury.
Now, maybe he doesn't get exactly that kind of deal from the Rangers.
But it ought to be fairly close.
If it's not — with all due respect to Kane — I'd play a big game of chicken with everyone that goes all the way up to Friday's trade deadline.
Let's pause for a moment to acknowledge that a deal may already be in place, and the teams are simply waiting a few days so the salary-cap math works for New York.
If that's not the case, Davidson ought to find out how badly the Rangers really want Kane. And if the offer is subpar, find out if Kane is willing to go somewhere else. Davidson is in his first full year as GM. Yes, he wants to do right by a franchise icon. But he's also got to do what's right for the franchise.
And this is a seminal moment where he can show he's not going to get pushed around.
Davidson needs to stick to his guns.
If he does, my guess is it all works out for the Hawks, for Kane and for the Rangers.
Stalock returns:
The Hawks activated goaltender Alex Stalock (oculomotor dysfunction) off injured reserve Sunday, and assigned goalie Jaxson Stauber to Rockford. Stalock is 6-6-1 with a .918 save percentage and 2.70 goals-against average this season.