Could the Boston Bruins acquire Patrick Kane this offseason?

With the Chicago Blackhawks committing to a rebuild, could the Boston Bruins inquire about their all-star winger?

The Chicago Blackhawks recently issued a letter to their fans solidifying their commitment to rebuilding and developing their young players. The Blackhawks have taken a fall from grace since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010,2013,2015, not making it past the first round of the playoffs in any season since. That sort of dominance usually costs high contracts, quality prospects, and draft assets.

As expected the Hawks are currently locked into some monster contracts while having fairly empty cupboards for the future. Naturally, this has led to some speculation of what will happen with their superstar vets including Patrick Kane. Could the Boston Bruins take advantage?

It is no secret that the Boston Bruins have been on the hunt for a consistent winger to be on David Krejci‘s right side for several years now. Don Sweeney has attempted several temporary fixes that just haven’t panned out. Bruins fans and media are getting restless and it looks like it may be time for Sweeney to bite the bullet and make a big move for a quality player to permanently patch up the right side.

How the Boston Bruins could make it work

Kane is owed $10.5 million for the next three seasons. It is absolutely a big number but not unreasonable for a guy who is a guaranteed 80 points a season. For reference, last offseason, Mitch Marner signed a deal with the paying him near $10.9 million for the proceeding 6 years.

This was also Marner taking a “discount” so the Toronto Maple Leafs weren’t completely screwed salary cap-wise. Considering Kane had 17 more points than Marner last year it is safe to say he is playing up to his contract.

The Bruins currently have approximately $6.6 million in cap space. This is pretty solid considering the Bruins’ recent salary cap troubles, but it is close to impossible this much will remain with unanswered questions still in the air like will Zdeno Chara return? He will not be an expensive addition but will certainly cost the team in the neighborhood of $2 million.

Let’s look at a reasonable trade that would make the money work…

Dealing those three players would take $5.175 million off the cap making it easy for Sweeney to maneuver Kane’s salary to fit into the cap. This would be huge for the Bruins. David Krejci would finally have a consistent force on the right side that he could trust and rely on night in and night out.

For the Blackhawks’, they would be getting really quality young players and assets who can help mold the foundation of a future Stanley Cup contender.

Sweeney has never been one to mortgage the Bruins future for a big name player but with the core getting older and a constant issue in a second line RW, this would be an opportunity he should absolutely consider. Players like Patrick Kane aren’t made available too often.