Patrick Kane underwent successful surgery on his clavicle Wednesday. (USATSI)
The Chicago Blackhawks announced that leading scorer Patrick Kane had successful surgery to repair a fracture in his left clavicle. He is expected to need 12 weeks to recover from the procedure.
That timeline puts Kane out for the remainder of the regular season and a good portion of the postseason as well.
Kane was tied for the NHL's scoring lead with 64 points. His 27 goals and 37 assists led the Blackhawks in both categories.
The absence of one of the league's top producers would be difficult for any team to overcome. Chicago has good depth up front to remain competitive but Kane is irreplaceable.
That's why it will be interesting to see what Chicago does as the trade deadline approaches. General manager Stan Bowman has often shied away from deadline deals which can often be expensive in terms of the assets teams have to surrender to improve in the short term. As more of a big picture thinker this presents a pretty big challenge to Bowman as the team is among the few that are expected to compete for Stanley Cups every year.
The Blackhawks have reportedly shown interest in Arizona Coyotes forward Antoine Vermette who plays primarily at center but can play wing. He'd represent a big drop off in production from Kane (who wouldn't ) but his two way abilities could come in handy. With a contract set to expire in the summer Vermette would probably only serve Chicago as a rental.
Chicago will have to proceed cautiously as the big extensions handed to Kane and captain Jonathan Toews over the summer kick in next season. That puts more emphasis on being able to lean on players with cheaper contracts to come in and contribute under a tight cap making players in the prospect pipeline a little more valuable to this club. Without knowing where the salary cap will go next season things only get more challenging.
As for this season there's only going to be more pressure on wingers Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp to pick up their production particularly Sharp who has just 10 goals this season after posting 34 last year.
Where Chicago will really miss their young superstar is in the postseason however. Kane has been a top performer with 39 points over the last two trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He won the Conn Smythe as the Blackhawks took home their second Stanley Cup in four years in 2013.
Without Kane the Blackhawks face an uphill battle in a postseason that could potentially see them facing off against the rival St. Louis Blues in the first round. With the scoring depth the Blues have shown this year it's going to be tougher to match them goal for goal if the Blackhawks don't have their top offensive performer.
Kane's absence for the remainder of the season will also cost him a bit of history. He offered the United States' best hope in ending the Art Ross (and possibly even the Hart Trophy) drought. An American born player has never won the league's scoring title or MVP award. Kane sure looked like he had an honest shot.
It's a tough blow to the Blackhawks but especially tough for Kane who has really put his career on hyper drive these last few seasons.
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