Earlier this week, the Leafs Updates posted that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas and Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson “have had brief discussions surrounding Patrick Kane.” Although this report isn’t from a top NHL insider like Elliotte Friedman, it is still worth considering the possibility of Kane joining the Maple Leafs.

For the Maple Leafs to acquire Kane, they would need both the Blackhawks and a third team to help retain at least part of his expensive $10.5 million salary. Furthermore, the Buffalo native would, of course, need to accept a move to Toronto because of his no-movement clause (NMC). If they were to find a way to make this blockbuster happen, the Blackhawks would have some pretty good players to target from the Maple Leafs roster. Here are a few who might interest Davidson.

Alexander Kerfoot

One often-mentioned potential trade candidate this offseason has been Alexander Kerfoot. The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract, and the Maple Leafs may benefit from moving him instead of risking the possibility of losing him for nothing to free agency next summer.

Although the Blackhawks are rebuilding, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for them to bring in a player like Kerfoot. After losing players like Alex DeBrincat, Dominik Kubalik, Kirby Dach, and Dylan Strome this offseason, they could use another forward, and Kerfoot would fit in perfectly in their top six, which might, in turn, help him produce more offensively.

Kerfoot would also be guaranteed to play on the Blackhawks’ power play and penalty kill, and if the Vancouver native has a big year with the Blackhawks, it would raise his value as a rental at the 2023 Trade Deadline. Therefore, Davidson could get even more assets in return to help with the team’s rebuild. Overall, there is a potential match here, but Kerfoot would also need to okay the move, as he has a 10-team no-trade list.

Rasmus Sandin

At the time of this writing, Rasmus Sandin is still a restricted free agent (RFA), and that’s unlikely to change quickly. Speaking with Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Sandin’s agent, Lewis Gross, bluntly stated that “negotiations are going nowhere.” This should be cause for concern about the 2018 first-round pick’s future with the Maple Leafs. As a result, it’s possible that Dubas would be willing to trade Sandin if it means landing Kane.