Kane scores hat trick in win, and he's running out of options as trade deadline nears

A Word Salad.

It's a phrase reporters love to use after an interviewee gives a long, winding response that essentially says nothing.

Former Bears coach Matt Nagy mastered this art. Words, words, words. An occasional completed thought. A weak ending.

Next question! Rinse, repeat.

This is pretty much how Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson handled a straightforward query Sunday afternoon about how the process of trading Patrick Kane figures to go down.

"Will you tell Kane you've struck a deal with a team and see if he's willing to go there; or are you waiting for him to come to you with a list?"

Davidson's answer: "I think there's a lot of give and take. I don't think there's a defined path on how we're going to treat it. It's very much just information-sharing and collaboration along the way, finding if there's something that's a fit one way or the other."

Bob. Weave. He's not answering the question.

Yet, he continues ...

"It's a difficult decision for Patrick, right? And that's something we recognize and allow him the leeway to make the best decision for himself and we're going to follow that."

Follow it how? The deadline is March 3, less than two weeks away. The Rangers have traded for Vladimir Tarasenko; the Maple Leafs just acquired Ryan O'Reilly; the Islanders nabbed Bo Horvat.

This game of musical chairs could be leaving the Hawks with fewer and fewer options - although after Kane's otherworldly performance Sunday in a 5-3 win over Toronto, it would be no surprise if Davidson's phone lit up over and over again.

Kane pumped home 3 goals in under 31 minutes to stake the Hawks to a 3-1 lead, scoring 10:44 into the first period, and 7:57 and 10:49 into the second.

Kane showed off his full arsenal with each tally as he charged in and sniped the first one top shelf past goalie Ilya Samsonov; toyed with Samsonov with a bob-and-weave routine in front of the net before firing one home; and banked the puck off Samsonov's backside. The third one barely crossed the goal line, but it was enough for goal No. 14 on the season.

Toronto knotted things up at 7:38 of the third period, but Cole Guttman - playing in just his third NHL game - ripped home the game-winner four minutes later. Max Domi (3 assists) notched an empty-netter to seal the deal. Kane assisted on the play to give him a 4-point night.

Afterward, Kane admitted to getting "chills" from the revved-up home fans.

"The crowds have been great," said Kane, who has 5 goals in the last two games. "You can tell they want us to win. They're living and dying with us every game. It's impressive."

Back to Davidson, who pivoted in the middle of his answer and talked about how the Hawks are not looking negatively on Kane for possibly dragging his heels on making a decision.

"I just want to dispel that notion," Davidson said. "That's not at play here. Patrick's done a lot for the organization, he's done a tremendous amount for the city and he deserves the leeway to make the right decision for himself.

"So, we're going to give him that space. But when we do get to a conclusion one way or the other, it'll be through a partnership and collaborative decision-making process."

We chatted with Kane about this before the Hawks' last road trip and even he seemed at a loss for how things would proceed. Sunday he was asked if he had a gut feeling as to what will transpire.

"I don't know," Kane said. "I think if I knew that I'd probably make the decision already. So we'll see."

Let's remember that Pat Brisson - Kane's agent - is in daily communication with Davidson.

Hopefully they are having productive, meaningful discussions because - as noted above - Kane's options are dwindling by the day.

Dallas still seems like the front-runner, but don't rule out Vegas or Los Angeles.

Or the Hawks for that matter.

Kane may just play out the season for his beloved red and black, then see what free agency brings this summer. (This would be a disastrous result for the Hawks, by the way. They need whatever they can get for him to help speed up the rebuilding process).

At this point, everything seems to be on the table - one that, thankfully, will soon be void of the proverbial word salad.