Patrick Kane torched the Toronto Maple Leafs for a hat trick on Sunday and then proceeded to kick them — or at least fans hoping he’d join the team this season — while they were down by suggesting there’s no truth to the rumors that he’s got Toronto on his radar ahead of this season’s NHL Trade Deadline.
Following his offensive outburst in a Blackhawks win over the Maple Leafs, Kane was asked about a potential fit in Toronto and if he would ever consider accepting a trade there if the Maple Leafs were interested. He said, “I don’t think there’s really, at least that I know of, much discussion of that being an option. There’s a lot of different reports out there, and not all of them are true. So, gotta be careful what you listen to.”
In other words, despite reports from former NHL player and current RSN 1050 broadcaster Carlo Colaiacovo — one that suggested Kane had only two teams on his list for which he’s willing to accept a trade before the deadline: the Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers –, it’s not true. Colaiacovo said in a recent episode of First Up that his sources have told him it’s down to these two teams but Kane hasn’t heard anything of the sort, according to his comments.
What Kane has heard are the rumors linking him to Toronto. He seems to be passing on a message that he’s not been presented with Toronto as an option and while he didn’t explicitly rule them out of consideration, he seems to be hinting that they aren’t on his radar. He has noted in the past that some options out there seem intriguing, but the Maple Leafs likely aren’t one of them.
It might not matter, considering the Leafs recently placed their bets on Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari.
Oilers, Golden Knights, and Stars The Favorites for Kane
During Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said, “I think it’s some combination of Vegas, Dallas, Edmonton” on where Patrick Kane’s heart is. He added that the Oilers have interest and that Kane could ask Duncan Keith about his time in the organization to help form his decision. Friedman mentions that in the Western Conference, everybody is waiting to see what Edmonton and Vegas will do. Says it’s “obvious that two teams are thinking big.”
Chris Johnston of TSN and Northstar Bets writes of rumored mutual interest between the Oilers and Kane: “He’s certainly believed to be intrigued by the idea. What remains to be seen is if the Oilers decide to make Kane a priority – they’ve got mild interest, but seem to have other targets more squarely in sight.”
Kane has been very non-commital with all of this trade deadline speculation, but he did say regarding his GM’s comments that he’s got all the control here, “I don’t think he’s lying when he says that. I’m the one with the no-movement clause, but we’ve been having discussions.”
Next: Maple Leafs and Blues Make Big Trade: Includes O’Reilly, Acciari