Roenick says Chicago “can afford to get rid of Patrick Kane”

Appearing on ESPN 1000 Chicago’s “The Waddle & Silvy Show” Wednesday, NHL on NBC analyst Jeremy Roenick suggested the struggling Blackhawks should consider trading All-Star forward Patrick Kane.

“Everybody knows I am a huge Patrick Kane fan, but when you’re talking something of this nature, is Patrick Kane dealable? As much as I don’t want to say it, they can afford to get rid of Patrick Kane,” said Roenick, one of only three Blackhawks to ever score 50 goals in a single season. “They can afford to — with the season he’s having — maybe with his off-ice reputation, maybe with the skill they have on their team — it’s doable.”

This is the second time this week Kane’s been floated as a potential trade chip. On Monday, Sportsnet’s Hockey Central analyst Nick Kypreos discussed a potential Kane-for-Ryan Miller swap in an effort to cure Chicago’s goaltending woes. The ‘Hawks have lost nine straight with goaltenders Corey Crawford and Ray Emery struggling throughout.

On Wednesday Roenick added to Kypreos’ train of thought, saying that if the ‘Hawks want to get a quality netminder, they’ll have to give.

“Do I like it? No, because I love Patrick Kane,” Roenick said. “He is one of the most talented and one of the best players in the NHL. But if you really want a top-end goaltender you’re going to have to give up somebody.”

That said, Roenick made it clear there’s one person the organization shouldn’t give up on — head coach Joel Quenneville.

“If you let Coach Q go it would be the biggest mistake that that franchise has made since they traded me in 1996,” he said (Roenick was shipped to Phoenix after eight seasons in Chicago). “I truly believe that Coach Quenneville is one of the best coaches in the NHL.”