from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

But it's downright sane compared to what the Hockey News suggested on a podcast last week.

A trio of veteran writers went down the Patrick Kane wormhole, suggesting a deal home away from the bedraggled Blackhawks for No. 88 might be all the Sabres need to really accelerate things here.

The suggested return to Chicago for the South Buffalo native? Not much really.

Only Sam Reinhart, Jason Pominville, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Brendan Guhle, Victor Olofsson and three first-round draft picks. Yes, three. For a guy who just turned 30. No truth to the rumor the deal also includes a partridge in a pear tree. Not to mention that little problem of Kane's $10.5 million cap hit for the next four year.

It's almost as if they were acting as NBC operatives and trying to give the Blackhawks a quick fix so American television ratings can get back on track with 20 Chicago games again in upcoming years.

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