Patrick Kane has view regrets in his NHL career. Despite still only being 31-years old, he's already cemented his spot as one of the greatest Chicago Blackhawks of all time and an almost surefire Hall of Famer. He has three Stanley Cup championships to his name including a clincher in 2010. It's hard to imagine this guy has any regrets about such a career. Yet it seems that is the case, at least to a small degree.
Now Kane has made it clear that his time from 2010 to 2015 winning championships was the most fun he's ever had for obvious reasons. Nothing beats reaching the mountaintop. However, from a personal standpoint, he couldn't help but miss the time he got to spend with former teammate Artemi Panarin. In his mind, getting paired with the Russian star made his hockey life the most fun he's ever experienced. He explained why to Men's Journal in an interview.
Patrick Kane has every right to wonder where that pairing could've gone
It's not hard to understand why Kane misses Panarin. He had the best season of his career in 2015-2016 when the two were paired for the first time. He scored 106 goals, shattering his personal record of 88 at the time. He also dished out a then career-high 60 assists. That season ended with winning the Hart Memorial Trophy for Most Valuable Player. The first Blackhawk to claim that honor since Stan Mikita way back in 1968.
Just two years later, Panarin was traded to the Columbus Bluejackets in a deal to bring back Brandon Saad. This in an effort to help bolster the Blackhawks' defense. While an understandable move, can it be justified? Since leaving, Panarin has become one of the best assist men in the sport. He was tied for second in the NHL this season with 63 prior to the league shutting down because of the coronavirus. Mika Zibanejad, his teammate with the New York Rangers had already set a career-best in scoring with 41 goals and the season wasn't even over.
It's hard not to imagine what Kane would've accomplished had the two stayed together.
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