Patrick Kane Dilemma and Possible Solutions for the Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have a dilemma with All-Star winger Patrick Kane.

What will it take to get Kane back into the All-Star form that led the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup Championship?

As of late, Kane seems to be struggling to find the back of the net. He has played six games in January, racking up a total of three points and a minus-three rating. In the past four games Kane has mustered only one assist in 82 minutes of quality ice time.  

Kane's star quality and point production are important to a Chicago Blackhawks team that relies heavily on its stars to produce night in and night out, especially with Patrick Sharp out of the lineup for another three weeks.

The need for an answer is critical as the Blackhawks look to stay in a tight playoff race with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.  

Critics speculated that Kane's point production is down due to his move to center earlier in the season. 

"I feel pretty confident in my own end. Obviously, center is a whole different position, but it's something you have to work on," Kane said at the time.

However, Kane lacked the needed production and defense in order to be a second line center in the NHL. He was immediately moved back to right wing, where he has found success in the past, scoring 103 goals and 303 points for his career.  

Yet his numbers have been down for the season even on right wing. Having posted only 10 goals and 28 assists in 45 games for the Blackhawks this season, Kane is on pace for a 70 point season, three points below last year when he only played in 73 games due to injury. He ranks fourth on the team in point production.  

With Kane back on right wing and still slumping, the problem isn't in what position he plays on the ice, but it might be with who he plays with.

The solution might lie within Kane's ability to move the puck a bit faster. He could be reunited on a line with Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw to fill in for Daniel Carcillo, who is done for the season.  Kane put up good numbers while playing with Hossa and Carcillo earlier in the season with production falling off as time went on.

Another area to look at is net presence, not only to allow Kane to get better opportunities but for the team in general.  Goalies have been dominating against Kane and the Blackhawks as of late. Some bodies in front of the goalie could go a long way in helping Kane's production.

It might lie in the Blackhawks' ability to cycle well in the offensive zone, to open up more scoring chances for the teams stars.  

But it might just all come down to Patrick Kane himself. This slump might be more mental than physical.

For now, depth in the Blackhawks system has made up for Kane's lack of production. With the likes of Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw adding some needed energy to a team that suffered a four game losing streak last week, the Hawks look to battle a tough schedule the next few weeks.