While most of the top end of the unrestricted free agent market was picked clean by NHL clubs at the start of the new league year, a few top names remain without a contract for next season. While players such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Tomas Tatar, and Matt Dumba are undoubtedly of interest to many teams across the NHL, the name likely to generate the most attention is that of future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane.
Although the soon-to-be-35-year-old Chicago Blackhawks legend’s production declined slightly this past season, his 57 points in 66 games not quite matching the 92 in 78 he posted the year before, Kane is still widely regarded as a top offensive creator in the NHL.
A hip injury that nagged him for most of last season and required offseason surgery likely contributed to that decline, and there is hope that Kane can return to his explosive offensive form when he steps onto the ice next season.
The question regarding Kane, then, has been less about what he’ll be when he returns to full health and instead has focused on where he’ll be when he returns to NHL action.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports as part of his conversation with Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, that Kane ” isn’t looking to commit to a team in the summer,” and is instead looking to “take his time to recover” this summer while “keeping an eye on the standings during the opening weeks of the season.”
Under this approach, “Kane will select the suitor he feels is the best fit and with the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup” at the point when he’s ready to return to the ice, which could be before December. This would allow Kane to not only have a clearer sense of which teams offer him the best chance of winning his fourth Stanley Cup, it could also allow for Kane to join a team that currently does not have the salary cap space to sign him.
For example, a team could see one of its higher-priced players go down to a long-term injury, resulting in that player getting placed on long-term injured reserve. The resulting salary cap flexibility could allow a team previously unable to afford Kane to add him to their roster.
A team such as the Colorado Avalanche, for example, are a club that could be of interest to Kane but would almost certainly need to place the contract of injured captain Gabriel Landeskog on long-term injured reserve in order to be able to fit a Kane signing.
Given how much more frequent in-season LTIR placements have become, (the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights had captain Mark Stone on LTIR from early January until the playoffs) that could be the path for Kane to end up on a team he most prefers.
But for that to happen, he has to wait until he’s ready to hit the ice (and until a month or two of NHL games have been played) in order to sign his deal. So while Kane is still the top free agent on the open market, he’s likely to remain a free agent long past the other remaining names have found teams.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
A contending team would actually need to want him, as well…. Not sure that’s necessarily a guarantee at this point.
There are many teams that would be willing to take him onto their roster. Not many would say no if they felt he could potentially put them over the top. Problem is, most don’t have the cap space as contenders seem to mostly be capped out.
Add in the hip surgery and I’m not sure he lands where he prefers unless he takes a very low one year deal.
Great point, No team needs a good offensive player.
didn’t he rape a woman and then pay her off to not cooperate in the investigation and have her sign a document that said she couldn’t ever file another rape case against him?
You mean where that woman’attorney looked like a horse’s ass when they claimed they had the rape kit when all they had was an evidence bag? I believe he shortly resigned as their attorney afterward saying he feels he could not represent them anymore. The Cops also ended the investigation when they did not find corroborating evidence. While she also signed a non-prosecution affidavit, which appears to be again without compensation. While there is conjecture, here is the story that explains it all. link to abc7chicago.com
@jacl
Allegedly. He was never prosecuted.
Duke lacrosse. Brian Banks. This just in: women have lied about this stuff and you don’t have to fall for every story that some media hack tosses out before actually doing any homework on the details.
I know Kane already has 3 rings so not the best example, but I never understood the “I signed with the best team I could, I’m a champion!” mentality.
Yeah. Why let contract negotiations drag if you’re in Kane’s situation?
I think for a lot of guys in Kane’s situation it’s about playing meaningful hockey games. Kane has played 1,180 NHL games. He doesn’t want to play 82 meaningless games on a non-competitive team.
A ring is a ring is a ring. Your name on the Cup 4x is better than 3x ♂️ no one will say “ah well you know his 4th ring he wasn’t the best player – he just joined the best team and helped them win”. It’s not like he’s Kimmo Timonen playing 14.5 min the ENTIRE PLAYOFFS and getting his ring. Kane would immediately improve any contender he goes to. If say the Avs sign him and put him on the 2nd or 3rd line playing 15-17 min a game, on the PP, think about how much that lengthens their lineup and special teams. Is Kane still a top 10 guy in the NHL? Probably not. But he’s a hell of a lot closer to top 10 than he is to 2015 Kimmo. Acting like he would be just tagging along for the ride with some top team is a bit silly.
This actually does scream Avs and they should definitely want him when the time comes. Stuff him on the second line and lengthen that forward corps
So he’s gonna go from being a franchise icon to being a merc
Well yeah. Are you not aware that that’s how it happens most of the time? For every Patrice Bergeron there’s 10 Jarome Iginlas
Except Kane and Bergeron had rings before moving on. Iginla was more like Bourque, except he never got his ring. And Bergeron hasn’t moved on because he has his ring(s) already.
The Kane speculation has gotten tired and old, Nobody knows when or if he’ll be back and certainly there is no way to know the outcome of the hip surgery down the road, His best days are in the rearview mirror but I’m sure some unqualified GM will over pay if Kane can come back, Chris Drury thought it was a good idea to acquire him knowing he was already injured. It doesn’t get much more stupid than that!!!!