Patrick Kane is off to his best start ever. He thinks he can reach 'another level.'

With 11 goals in the Chicago Blackhawks' first 13 games, Patrick Kane is off to the best start of his career.

•  Better than the 9 he scored in 2013 as the 10-0-3 Hawks were in the middle of an NHL-record 21-0-3 start.

•  Better than the 7 he put up the next season, when the Hawks would go on to lose a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference finals.

• And better than the 8 he racked up during an MVP campaign in 2015-16 that saw him finish with a career-best 46 goals and 106 points.

This start tops them all.

Yet, somewhat shockingly, former Hawk and respected TV analyst Eddie Olczyk believes there's “another level” Kane could reach.

“I agree, for sure,” Kane said Tuesday before the Hawks began a three-game road trip. “There are games where sometimes you don't really play as well and you're just trying to find a way to get one here or there, and then all of a sudden it kind of adds up a little bit. There's still some more I can bring as far as controlling the play and having the puck more and creating plays.

“I'd probably agree with that assessment. All players, once they get going, they don't want to be satisfied with where they're at. They want to keep improving.”

Good decision

It almost seems ludicrous to think that Kane could reach another level. Yet, that may be exactly what we're seeing.

If we want to examine why, all you have to do is go back to last April when Kane made the decision to take part in the World Championships in Denmark.

“That was a great experience for me,” he said. “It's something I'm really happy I did (and) probably something I should have done the previous couple years as well.”

Not only did Kane lead the United States to a bronze medal by scoring 8 goals and dishing out 12 assists in 10 games, but he was also named team captain by coach Jeff Blashill.

“Patrick has shown unreal leadership ability for us,” Blashill said on NHL Network. “That's what I've been most impressed with. He's obviously one of the most talented players in the world, but the leadership and his approach from a team perspective has been the biggest thing I've seen.”

Kane also once again went to Florida to train with world-renowned performance coach Darryl Belfry, and he also took part in the new Chicago Pro Hockey League at MB Ice Arena last summer.

All of these things appear to be paying off.

“He seems like he has another level of speed in his game this year,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “And the way he's handling the puck, shooting the puck — he's finding several opportunities on a game-to-game basis and it doesn't matter who he's with.”

Said Olczyk: “He's making a lot happen on his own. When he wants the puck, he goes to the puck. He's not waiting for it. … He's going to an area and saying, 'Give it to me.' ”

Always producing

Patrick Kane goes through linemates like Liz Taylor went through husbands.

“I think it's been changing for like 12 years,” Kane said with a wry smile when asked if he'd like to have a bit more consistency this season.

Kane began this campaign with Brandon Saad and Nick Schmaltz. Then Alexandre Fortin replaced Saad, Anisimov replaced Fortin and Saad replaced Schmaltz.

Since Kane's rookie campaign, 15 players have been on the ice with him for at least 500 minutes at even strength, according to naturalstattrick.com.

It's a list that includes Jonathan Toews (4,731), Patrick Sharp (2,891), Anisimov (2,213), Artemi Panarin (2,089), Kris Versteeg (1,268) and even guys such as Andrew Shaw (622), Viktor Stalberg (586), Marcus Kruger (560) and Bryan Bickell (543).

Despite it all, Kane continues to produce and make everyone around him better.

“It's not easy doing what he's doing,” Olczyk said. “And it's not easy playing with guys like that. People think, 'Oh, anybody can play with Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Kane or Michael Jordan.' It's not that way.

“It's not necessarily because those guys are demanding or they expect you to get to their level. It's an expectation of being able to read off that player and know when he wants the puck, when he doesn't, where to go, where not to go and always be ready for it.”

The speedy, shifty Schmaltz said it's easy playing with Kane because they think the same way on the ice. For a big center like Anisimov, though, it can be challenging.

“Sometimes when we're not in the same mindset where everybody needs to go, there's confusion,” Anisimov admitted.

So Anisimov must think on the fly at times. A good example came at St. Louis last week when Kane took a different route than Anisimov was expecting during an odd-man rush in the second period.

“I thought he was going to go behind my back, but he went (to the middle). I say, 'OK. Then go there,' ” Anisimov chuckled. “And he scored.”

Shoot to kill

That goal against the Blues came on a perfectly placed wrist shot that connected just under the right crossbar after Kane patiently skated in to the left of Jake Allen. His other goal that night came on a low wrist shot from 45 feet out that Allen didn't see until it was too late.

This is what makes Kane so dangerous at any given moment.

Sure, he'll often connect with a vicious one-timer or on the breakaway, but he'll also beat you by roofing a backhander or with a spin-o-rama backhander. He'll snap a shot short-side through a six-inch window. Or he'll maneuver through two or three players, create space and score a highlight-reel goal that often leaves announcers gasping for air and unable to finish a thought.

Here's Pat Foley's call on Kane's double-overtime winner against St. Louis in Game 5 of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs: “In front Kane, around a check, to the BACKHAAAAND! He tried a shot! Oh, and it hit a! Rebound! The Hawks win! Hawks win! Patrick Kane!”

If you recall, Kane's initial shot attempt was deflected and squirted to the right of Blues goalie Brian Elliott. Kane took three quick strides around the back of the net and backhanded a shot into the open cage before Elliott knew what hit him.

“He's one of the highest IQ-level players in the game,” Schmaltz said. “He's not the most physical guy, but he's always in the right spot. …

“I've learned a lot from him — not only in games but in practice, too. Little things that he works on. Placing shots. He doesn't have the hardest shot in the league, but he's just so accurate with it. His head's always up, he sees holes and picks 'em.”

Can he hit 60? 65?

Much like past superstars Michael Jordan, Stan Mikita and Walter Payton, Patrick Kane has an insatiable desire to dazzle each night.

MJ was never satisfied after a 50-point game, nor was Mikita after scoring 2 or 3 goals, nor Payton after running for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“Wipe the slate clean,” Kane said.

So what kind of season could this be for Kane? He definitely could approach his career high of 46 goals. He could even hit 50 or 55.

Heck, he's on pace for 69. Is 65 possible, a number reached just 24 times in NHL history?

“It's not happening,” Olczyk said. “If you were going to say 50 or 55, I'd grab onto your coattails. … Being a horse player myself, I'm going to put my money on his nose all the time. But you start talking about 65, you're probably stretching it.”

Perhaps. But one thing's for sure — Kane's going to enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.

“Throughout seasons you always have some type of streak where you can get hot,” he said. “The thing is trying to keep that going as long as possible. In that (MVP) season, I had a 26-game (point) streak. I mean that's something that can't really be replicated unless you get really hot.

“Just take it a game at a time, try to produce every night and see what happens.”