Settlement involving Patrick Kane would mean too many unanswered questions

There’s a chance we’re never going to know what happened between Patrick Kane and a woman one night in early August. That’s disappointing, and not for prurient reasons.

According to reports, a grand jury investigation that was to begin Tuesday in upstate New York was postponed, apparently because attorneys for the Blackhawks star and the woman are having settlement discussions.

It would be nice to know what we’re dealing with when it comes to Kane. This is tricky and delicate for everyone involved. A settlement is often the best course of action, allowing accusers and the accused to avoid very public, often painful trials.

But there’s a huge gap between the boyish image that Kane has projected – an image the Hawks have promoted — and the trouble he has gotten into during his career. Is he a fun-loving, impish bad boy or is there something much more sinister at work?

Most of the time, fans don’t care about an athlete’s life away from the field of play. They just want to witness excellence. But when lurid details start to spill into the narrative, it’s difficult to focus only on performance. That’s where Chicago is with Kane. There’s no doubt he’s a great hockey player. But what about the rest of it? Who is this guy?

We may never know. For many people, the people who care only about Stanley Cups, that’s more than OK. For the rest of us, there will be too many unanswered questions.