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Evander trade makes Patrick Kane grateful ‘Hawks stuck with him

Arizona Coyotes v Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Kane

NHLI via Getty Images

Evander Kane’s dramatic stint with the Winnipeg Jets came to an end yesterday with a blockbuster deal that sent him to Buffalo. Seeing the controversy Kane, 23, has gone through and the result of it all left Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane reflective about his own past.

After all, Patrick, 26, also attracted unwanted attention from off-ice incidents early in his career.

“Everyone kind of has their own maturation process, and you go through some bumps in the road, that’s for sure,” Patrick said following the Evander trade, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everyone has a different path, that’s for sure. I was lucky enough when I was going through my bumps, that the Blackhawks stuck with me and gave me another chance. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else, so I’m very fortunate for that.”

Chicago certainly doesn’t regret its decision either, although to be fair, the circumstances aren’t identical. One of the big differences is that from the start of his career, Patrick Kane played like the star people expected him to be and helped deliver the Stanley Cup to Chicago when he was just 21 years old. For all Evander’s potential, he hasn’t enjoyed that kind of sustained success on the ice through his first six seasons.

For Evander’s part, he’s happy to get a fresh start and given Buffalo’s current position in the McEichel Derby, they’re likely to have a very promising center for him next season. There’s certainly an opportunity there for him to flourish and perhaps in three years, Evander will be talking about how grateful he was that the Sabres took a chance on him after a rough period in his career.

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