The Chicago Blackhawks are entering the 2022-23 season rebuilding under new general manager Kyle Davidson. Even though the team will not be very good on the ice, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something for fans to watch. One thing fans should keep an eye on is Patrick Kane’s milestone race.
The Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and since then it seems like the main thing the team has done is given Alex Ovechkin the opportunity to chase the most goals in NHL history with the team. While the Capitals might not be chasing Stanley Cups, they are giving the face of their franchise enough talent around him to go after his goal.
I think the Blackhawks could be in a similar situation with Patrick Kane. While the team is actively rebuilding, Kane is chasing some pretty big milestones in the near future.
Patrick Kane celebrated his 1000th NHL game this past season in a ceremony with fans in the stands.
His 1000th NHL game happened during the shortened 2020-21 NHL season, where no fans were allowed in the crowd. Going into this new season, Kane has played in 1107 games, behind just three players for the franchise lead. The three players in front of him are Brent Seabrook (1114), Duncan Keith (1192) and Stan Mikita (1396).
Kane only has to play in an additional 289 games to tie Mikita, and that could get done with four more years with the team. Some of the other milestones he is closing in on revolves around goals, assists, and points. Kane is third in team history in goals with 430. He trails Mikita (541) and Bobby Hull (604). This might be a harder milestone to catch but if Kane can score 25 to 30 goals a season that would only take him about six more seasons to catch that.
Here is where things stand when it comes to assists and points. Kane chases just one person for both categories – Stan Mikita. Mikita leads the franchise with 926 assists and 1467 points. Kane has 750 assists and 1180 points. While he does have a long way to go before catching Mikita in either one of these categories, if he does decide to play out his career in Chicago, there is no reason he couldn’t catch them.
Kane is only 33 years old and still has a lot of great hockey ahead of him. This past season he put up 92 points in 78 games and he has consistently been near the top of the league in points, despite the team’s struggles.
Check out his career stats each year:
Kane is still a point-per-game player and while losing Alex DeBrincat is going to be a tough blow, at least he still can play with his longtime teammate Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks are tanking for a top draft pick in 2023, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be something to cheer for on the ice.
Now, all we have to do is wait and see whether or not Kane is interested in chasing milestones with the Blackhawks or if he wants to go win another Stanley Cup on a different team. Considering this is a contract year for him, the answer could be presented sooner rather than later.