The Patrick Kane saga in Chicago could be coming to a swift close.
According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, “expect a resolution in the next 24 hours or so” when it comes to a potential Kane trade. He added that as of his reporting, Kane had yet to waive his no-movement clause.
Pierre LeBrun doubled down on the report in a Friday article.
“It’s an emotional time for Kane, and I don’t blame the future Hall of Famer for struggling with it. If he does decide to get moved, as I’ve written before, I think he gives one team to Brisson and then it’s up to Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson to see if there’s a trade fit,” LeBrun wrote.
“Three teams that have interest and would make the most sense: the Rangers, Stars and Oilers. The betting money is on the Rangers; there’s mutual interest there if Kane decides he wants to move.”
As LeBrun notes, the smart money here is on Kane landing with the Rangers, the place where he’s apparently wanted to go all along. There was a belief that after New York picked up Vladimir Tarasenko that it would result in them being out on Kane, but that seems to have changed as of late.

Penguins waive Kapanen

The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed forward Kasperi Kapanen on waivers. 
He was supposed to practice with the team Friday, but was held out only to land on waivers not long after.
“Hexy informed me before practice that he was held out because he’s going to go on waivers here this afternoon,” said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan. “When a team doesn’t live up to expectations, change is inevitable – that’s part of it. Kappy is a really talented player. To a certain extent, it’s on all of us because we didn’t find a way to maximize his potential.”
Kapanen has been in and out of the Penguins’ lineup this season appearing in 43 games scoring seven goals and 20 points.

Panthers’ Knight enters NHL/NHLPA assistance program

Florida Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight has entered the NHL and NHLPA’s player assistance program and will be out of the lineup indefinitely.
Drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft, Knight has appeared in 57 games over the last three seasons posting a 32-17-6 record, a .906 save percentage and a 2.91 GAA.
Here’s some of what Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote about Knight:
Knight made an immediate impact after leaving the NCAA, winning all four of his starts to close 2020-21 and even got into two games in the post-season. With Sergei Bobrovsky’s struggles in recent years, Knight was expected to steal games and be the team’s No. 1 long-term. So far, that hasn’t been the case.
Before turning pro, Knight was viewed as one of the best goaltenders in recent college history. He was a Hockey East champion as a rookie in 2019-20, making the league’s second all-star team. He then won a second championship the year after, was the Hockey East goalie of the year and the player of the year, as well.
The Panthers are still in the playoff conversation, sitting tied with Detroit for the last wild-card spot with three games in hand. It’s a big fall for team that won the President’s Trophy last season and looked destined for another playoff appearance, but injuries and weak play have kept them from staying in contention. The Panthers don’t have a first-round pick after moving it in a deal brought Ben Chiarot over from Montreal last season.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.