TAKEAWAYS: New Chapter Officially Begins as Blackhawks Fall in Arizona

Tuesday night in Tempe, Ariz., a new chapter for the Chicago Blackhawks officially began. It wasn't one tied to the game being played -- a 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena -- but to the formality announced just an hour before puck drop.
Patrick Kane, a Chicago icon since the day he was drafted over 16 years ago, for the first time in his career is no longer a Blackhawk, traded to the New York Rangers, his preferred deadline destination, in a three-team deal netting the Blackhawks two draft picks and two prospects.

RELATED LINKS
RELEASE: Blackhawks Trade Patrick Kane to Rangers
STATEMENT: A Letter from Patrick Kane
STATEMENT: Wirtz, Davidson on Patrick Kane
WATCH: Thank You, Patrick Kane
GALLERY: The Best of Patrick Kane
"I'm so thankful for everything the city, the Blackhawks organization, my teammates and the fans have done for me and my family over the last 16 years-the support was constant from day one and Chicago will forever be home for us," Kane said in a statement after the trade was announced.
"This has been an emotional time for me and my family, but I feel this decision puts me in the best spot to immediately win another Stanley Cup," he continued. "This isn't about me leaving the Blackhawks, but this is an opportunity for me-the Blackhawks did everything they could to put me in a great position and I will forever be grateful. It is bittersweet to leave a place that is so special to me, but I will always carry the memories we made in Chicago."

Kane had missed the last two games prior to Tuesday night as he and Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson sorted out the next chapter in his career. In the end, the winger controlled his own destiny with a no-trade clause in his contract and where, if at all, he wanted to be dealt. After weeks of contemplation and internal turmoil, he chose to chase another Cup in New York, alongside former Chicago teammate Artemi Panarin and a star-studded lineup on Broadway.
"It was an impossibly difficult decision for him," Davidson told reporters. "He's been a Blackhawk for so long, and had so many big moments and really [grew] up in Chicago. Chicago, I'm sure, is home to him. And he's got a young family now, and that's not easy to change at this point in your career. But I think the appeal of playing for the Rangers with some familiar faces, and on a good team was was intriguing to him, and we're happy to be able to deliver that for him."

Suddenly having Kane leave in the middle of the trip was jarring for the group, but the formality that it's now for good, had at least a small role in Tuesday's loss.
"It's hard. It's been a tough couple days," Connor Murphy said. "We won't lie about if affecting us a little bit emotionally and psychological for guys. This time of year is always tough. And seeing core guys, that have been so big for organization, like Kaner, and then yesterday for [Sam Lafferty] and [Jake McCabe] and [Jack Johnson] before that, they were just such great guys and they all had great seasons with us and we're such an impactful people for our room and for organization. I will miss them."
Now, the new-look Blackhawks embark on the final six-plus weeks of the 2022-23 season, without Kane and with the future of Jonathan Toews a question mark as the captain deals with Long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.
In their places, newcomers like David Gust, Cole Guttman and Joey Anderson have joined the likes of Andreas Athanasiou, Max Domi and Taylor Raddysh up front as the team heads down the final stretch - pending any further dealings ahead of Friday's NHL Trade Deadline. Collectively, the roster will now look to find their way forward.
"We're in a position right now where we have a lot of new players here," head coach Luke Richardson said, "and we need to almost, not start over, but create some new bonds here and relationships and some chemistry that we can move forward with (the rest of the season)."
"It just takes getting to know each other again," Murphy said of bringing the new group together again. "I think the positive is having a lot of guys here -- everyone needs to prove themselves. I think we all want to prove that we want to be a part of this organization going forward and a lot of guys trying to jell and get new line combinations and D pairings going and and just build that chemistry and team culture together."