CLUBS CALLING BLACKHAWKS ABOUT KANE, DEBRINCAT

TORONTO, ON — The Chicago Blackhawks are giving new meaning to the term “open for business.” And while that’s an exciting prospect for hockey fans with the NHL trade deadline two days away, it’s nerve-wracking for the families of the 23-man roster.

Having already traded forward Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday – what a return! – who gets moved yes is anybody’s guess.

Calvin de Haan. Dominik Kubalik. Ryan Carpenter. Dylan Strome. Jake McCabe. Marc-Andre Fleury. Erik Gustafsson.

All seven could be on the move by the time the trade deadline reaches 3pm ET on Monday. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson is listening on everybody not named Seth Jones and Jonathan Toews.

Wait. Does that mean...

Alex DeBrincat?

Patrick Kane??

‘Tis the season.

My NHL Network colleague Brian Lawton shook things up on Friday when he reported, based on speaking with a few clubs, that if Kane goes, DeBrincat will follow. And vice versa.

Earlier on in the season, teams reached out to the Blackhawks to see if they would consider moving Kane and DeBrincat. In fact, some teams asked about Kane in the summer. They had been told, at the time, no. But times have changed, and so has Chicago’s mindset with Davidson at the helm. Teams have circled back on both players and the Hawks are listening.

Now, what exactly does that mean? Davidson is not actively shopping Kane or DeBrincat. Teams are calling and Chicago is telling them to wow them. If a team steps up with an offer that’s too good to pass up, they will seriously consider it. In fact, I’ve been told that message has been relayed to DeBrincat’s camp. As for Kane, it’s going to be a situational basis.

Davidson has spoken with Kane and his agent Pat Brisson about the direction of the club. My understanding is if a team pitches them an incredible offer, they’ll have a conversation with Kane about it and go from there.

Could the New York Rangers or Colorado Avalanche pry Kane from the Hawks? They’d like to. If the Avs lose out on Giroux – and I still believed the Florida Panthers are the destination, but we’ll see – could they add to the Giroux package and land Kane? Are the Rangers willing to give up one of their top young studs for 88? The Avs don’t have a first-round pick this summer, but the Rangers do. Is there another team or two lurking in the weeds?

If Kane’s dealt by the deadline, I’d imagine the Blackhawks would have to retain a portion of his $10.5 million salary cap hit. If this becomes a summer move, that could change.

I’m not yet sure which teams are specifically asking about DeBrincat, so I won’t bother to speculate, but he has one more year left on his contract, like Kane, and still has restricted free agent status when his deal expires. He’s controllable and that means the price should be astronomical. But teams get silly around this time of the season, so you never know.

If nothing else, this storyline adds a bit of extra excitement to a trade deadline that is still waiting on the likes of Giroux and Jakob Chychrun to move. The next two days should be interesting.