Patrick Kane is the Player To Watch in This Season's Rumor Mill

Expect Patrick Kane trade rumors to continue a lot in the coming weeks.

With the Chicago Blackhawks rebuilding their roster, Patrick Kane became the subject of trade conjecture throughout the summer. The 33-year-old winger remains among the NHL's elite scorers. His eligibility for unrestricted free agency next July ensures he'll be a fixture in this season's rumor mill.

Off-season speculation had the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers interested in Kane. On Oct. 5, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli had the Blackhawks star getting traded to the Rangers as part of his 32 bold predictions for 2022-23.

Seravalli wasn't the only pundit recently pondering Kane's future. On Oct. 8, the Boston Globe's Kevin Paul Dupont wondered what it might cost the Boston Bruins to acquire the long-time Blackhawks star. He suggested a package of Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo and either Jack Studnicka or Jakub Zboril plus a conditional first-rounder if Kane re-signed with the Bruins.

If the Blackhawks shop Kane, GM Kyle Davidson will likely seek a return consisting of at least a 2023 first-round pick, a top prospect and a good young NHL player.

Of the teams linked to Kane, the Sabres, Red Wings and Rangers possess the necessary 2023 first-rounder as well as sufficient depth in promising prospects and young NHL players to make Davidson a tempting offer. The Sabres and Wings, however, could be out of the running if Kane uses his no-movement clause to block trades to non-contenders.