Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks' situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance.

The reverberations of Chicago's decision to trade Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers were felt almost immediately, with the flat Blackhawks losing 4-1 at Arizona on Tuesday night. And there will be more shockwaves Thursday night, when they host Dallas in the franchise's first home game since the deal.

“We knew it was going to happen, but still when you see it's actually true, it's pretty crazy,” Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev said. “I never thought that he would play for a different team, but that's how it went.”

Kane, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, had spent his entire career with Chicago, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Even as Chicago struggled in recent years and the 34-year-old winger started managing a hip issue, he still provided bursts of flashy play that delighted faithful crowds at the United Center.

But the Blackhawks (2134-5) are tanking, hoping for a fortunate bounce with a ping-pong ball and a chance to take Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the draft. And Kane is in the final year of his contract.

General manager Kyle

Davidson said all along it was up to Kane what he wanted to do, and he decided last week he would waive his no-movement clause for a trade to New York.

Davidson had no leverage in his conversations with New York GM Chris Drury, and the best part of Tuesday's three-team deal for Chicago was a conditional 2023 second-round draft pick and a fourthrounder in 2025. The conditional pick turns into a first-rounder if the Rangers reach this year's East final.