NHL Offseason 2012: Should the Blackhawks Trade Kane After Latest Incident?

According to Deadspin, Patrick Kane was at a party in Madison, Wisconsin, where he was intoxicated and apparently choked a female at the event and got into fights with numerous people there.

While this probably isn’t enough to trade Kane alone, this isn’t the first time he has gotten into trouble for his off-the-ice actions. Back in August 2009, Kane was arrested for assaulting a cab driver after a disagreement over the cab fare (via Yahoo Sports).

It may be okay to get into a bit of trouble when you’re winning Stanley Cups, which the Blackhawks did the year after Kane’s incident, but when you’re getting beaten in the first round and not working hard on your game to improve, that’s another story.

His point production has slipped the last two years from 88 in 2010 to just 66 this year. With players such as Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp playing at such a high level, the Hawks could afford to trade him in return for starting goaltending or a combination of assets that could improve the club’s weaknesses.

One thing that may stop the Blackhawks from trading Kane is the excellent play by Jeff Carter and Mike Richards these playoffs, as they attempt to bring a Stanley Cup to Los Angeles. The two were traded from Philadelphia after rumors of them partying too hard (via NESN.com).

Although Kane has a no-movement clause, if a deal came along that made sense to him, I’m confident he would be fine with waiving the clause—especially if the new team gave him an opportunity to shine on his own.