You’ve heard them all too many times before: A cold day in hell. When pigs fly. On the 12th of never. A snowball’s chance in hell.

The idioms of improbability. Beaten like a dead horse and milked drier than a dairy cow in an Oberweiss plant to such a dire extent that only clichés could describe just how cliche they’ve become.

Well, I have a new one for you. A fresh locution that, at this very time yesterday, could have been considered the rarest idiom of improbability in existence: When Foran agrees with Blackhawks trade speculation.

As it turns out, Satan better be wearing his thickest pair of plush mittens because that circulating hearsay of a potential Patrick Sharp/Blackhawks reunion, from strictly a hockey perspective, actually makes a pretty good amount of sense.

What I mean by strict hockey perspective is that such a move would make the most sense in terms of addressing the Blackhawks immediate needs. This means there is no nostalgia-fueled, fan service feeding my opinion. I firmly stand by the notion that if the Blackhawks, indeed, attempt to re-acquire Patrick Sharp, it won’t be to appease the countless droves of love-stricken fans that, to this day, continue to sport their number 10 sweaters to the United Center night-in and night-out, it will because the team needs scoring depth and Patrick Sharp is the best option available.

There isn’t much to elaborate on. If the near-basement dwelling, major disappointment that is the Dallas Stars opt to deal their pending unrestricted free agent at the deadline, there’s no doubt in my mind the Blackhawks will be one of the many team’s inquiring about the 35-year old winger’s services.

To put it bluntly, the struggling Jonathan Toews needs a damn scoring compliment after skating aside depth forwards for much of the year and Sharp could be just the familiar face he needs to get back on track. If I’m popping blood vessels each time I hear some academic hockey theorist bitching about Toews’ so-called regression evidenced through his lack of scoring this season (that’s some scholarly analyzation, guys), I can only imagine how the venerable Blackhawks captain feels.

You try scoring when A. You’re not a prolific scorer yourself and B. Your every night wingers are a 38-year old two-way specialist and a kid who has less NHL games under his belt than Marian Hossa has points this season.

Sharp, who has been limited to just 20 games after sustaining a concussion earlier this season, has been quietly productive and otherwise consistent for the struggling Stars. While his 9 points in 20 contests don’t exactly scream “Sell the farm!”, it’s his recent production (7 points in his last 8) that hint the old man can still produce with the best of them when at full health.

Toews would be doing cartwheels throughout the 300-level if his beloved, former teammate was ushered back into the fold.

Aside from the obvious scoring facet, the reason why the former Blackhawk makes much more sense than, say, Toronto’s James van Riemsdyk or Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog is because Sharp is, indeed, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. This means no long-term commitments and, most importantly, no added salary cap issues seeping into next season. A simple three months of Sharp’s services and, voila, he’s free to sign wherever he wants, whenever he wants and at whatever price he wants with no consequence for the Blackhawks.

Of course, there are potential deterrents, though.

Dallas isn’t going to just hand a division rival what is, perhaps, the missing link between first round elimination and a fourth Stanley Cup in eight years. After last year’s disastrous deadline which saw top prospects and draft picks, alike, being flung around like a Kardashian at an MTV awards show afterparty, I simply can’t see Bowman dishing out too much for a 35-year old rental the team will own for just 30 games or so.

I firmly believe that the Blackhawks General Manager learned his lesson last season following his, in hindsight, laughably overzealous dealings for busts Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, especially with former prospects Phillip Danault and Teuvo Teravainen thriving in Montreal and Carolina this season.

Pretty much the only significant risk factor worth fretting over if you’re Stan Bowman are those hoards of Patrick Sharp-hypnotics rioting at the realization that their dearly beloved, skating eye-candy would be tragically departing them for a second time in three years. Stan is a cold, calculating supercomputer of a man who simply cannot comprehend the flood of emotions or heartbreak among Patrick Sharp aficionados he’d be precipitating when he allows him to walk at season’s end. I doubt he cares about your feelings, anyway. As I said before, if he chooses to re-acquire Sharp it will be for the team, not for you.

If anything, I hope the deal commences solely for the benefit of Jonathan Toews. 2016-2017 thus far has undoubtedly been the harshest of the 28-year old’s prestigious and celebrated career. I’d love nothing more than for Toews to stick it right in the ears of his borderline-treacherous critics who, you very damn well know, will revert immediately back to adoring him at first sign of progression.

The Chicago Blackhawks might be in the market for another top six forward and many are speculating that a reunion with an awfully familiar face who now plays for a divisional foe could be in order.

That’s right. Patrick Sharp to the Blackhawks rumors are starting to fire up after several writers speculated that Sharp could be a good fit to return to Chicago after being traded to the Dallas Stars two years ago.

The Athletic’s Brian Hedger got the ball rolling when he threw Sharp in the mix as someone the Hawks could try to acquire at the trade deadline. Then, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman openly wondered in his 30 thoughts column whether Sharp could be an answer for Chicago’s depth problem.

A reunion with Sharp could be a move that potentially takes the Blackhawks over the top. He’s still a quality, veteran winger who put up 20 goals and 55 points in his first season with Dallas. He has only played in 20 games this season, netting four goals and nine points, but his familiarity with Chicago’s system and roster makes this move a natural fit. Plus, Sharp could provide Jonathan Toews the jumpstart he desperately needs on the top line.

But is the deal feasible? That’s an entirely different story.

The Stars are mired in mediocrity right now at 19-18-1, but are only two points back of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. Obviously, the team will have a better idea of where it stands in the playoff race come February’s trade deadline. But, a four or five-game rut could prompt Dallas to start selling, which is kind of crazy considering the Stars won the Central Division last season.

Sharp would be one of the more obvious candidates for a trade. The problem is — here we go again — cap space!

Sharp is on the final year of a contract he signed with the Hawks in 2011 and accrues a cap hit of $5.9 million this season. At the moment, the Blackhawks have approximately $3.34 million in cap space, per Cap Friendly. So, there’s a disparity there.

Now, the Hawks could plead the Stars to maintain some of Sharp’s salary. That figure would likely be in the neighborhood of $2 million. But, Dallas won’t just do that for a division rival out of the kindness of its heart. It’d likely cost them a decent, if not prized, prospect just in the cost of doing business.

So, while a reunion with Sharpie might get Blackhawks fans excited, it’s going to be an extremely difficult move to pull off. Stan Bowman has shown in the past he’s willing to make whatever deal necessary to give his team the best chance at winning a Stanley Cup. He’s sacrificed some long-term pieces for runs at the title, and it’s worked three times.

The question is whether Sharp would give Chicago a substantial boost in their quest for a fourth.