Edited Oct. 20, 2020 at 3:44 p.m.
If they are "committing to a rebuild" they should trade Kane and Toews and Keith if someone will take him.
I get that that sucks but like what are you expecting is going to happen? You're going to rebuild and then still try to run it back with those guys in 2-3 years, at best, when they'll all be 33+?
Debrincat, Dach, Kubalik, Boqvist are a great young core to build around. Do that. Forget Kane and Toews as being major parts of this team if you're entering a rebuild now. They are still (very) good now, but the chances they'll be impact players significantly go down every year they play from here on out and they are going to eat up a ton of cap. And if you're rebuilding, they might just walk at the end of their deals. What's their motivation to stay, other than nostalgia?
The time to contend with the big guns was the last three years. The Hawks squandered it. And they still are. They haven't committed to a rebuild, they've committed to being bad enough to get a lottery pick maybe but nothing else- the Florida Panthers route, if you will. If there's takers and they'll move, trade them now and get value. Unless there's just no market for Kane/Toews/Keith (which is possible due to flat cap) or they are blocking a trade (also possible), there's no reason to keep them.
You make the LA comparison, and maybe that's apt, but the Kings' prospect pool is far far ahead of where the Hawks are right now while the Hawks' equivalent of Doughty and Kopitar are already in their early/mid thirties.