Patrick Kane is a step closer to pulling on an NHL sweater again.
Exactly what that sweater will look like should be determined in the relatively near future now that Kane and agent Pat Brisson have started the process of speaking directly to those in the running for his services.
“It’s kind of like the interview period we used to have for July 1,” Brisson told my colleague Pierre LeBrun on Tuesday. “That’s what we’re starting to do here.”
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Less than two weeks shy of his 35th birthday, Kane is coming off a hip resurfacing procedure he had performed in June. That adds a degree of unpredictability about what exactly the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will bring to his next team, although it’s worth noting he still managed 57 points while playing on a deteriorating hip last season.
The reports about his progress have been extremely positive this fall, too.
The extended layoff has given Kane additional time to weigh his next move. He’s armed with a little more tangible information about the teams he’s speaking with after being able to watch them play throughout the first month of the regular season. And he’ll have ample opportunity for discussions about his role with prospective coaches and managers.
Among Kane’s goals as he selects his next NHL home are putting himself in position to chase down a fourth Stanley Cup title while ideally finding somewhere to play for more than a few months.
With that in mind, here’s a team-by-team look at the destinations where league sources believe he is most likely to land.
Let’s start where Kane finished off last season, shall we? While the marriage didn’t produce the outcome everyone had hoped for when he was acquired at the trade deadline from Chicago, with the Rangers getting knocked out by New Jersey in a seven-game first-round series, there were enough positives for both sides to remain open to a reunion.
The high-level fit is obvious: A player who has carried the moniker “Showtime” during his NHL career feels like he was made for Broadway, and the Rangers remain a top-tier Stanley Cup contender in the East. What remains to be seen is whether New York can find a way to add Kane while operating in long-term injured reserve, and if they can offer him an appealing enough role in a season where they’ve tried to open up opportunities for some of their younger forwards.
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The Rangers and Kane are definitely keeping tabs on each other, but whether or not there’s an Act 2 in the offing? That remains TBD.
Artemi Panarin is tied for third in the NHL in points, with 20, and could have help coming in old friend Patrick Kane. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)Not only did Kane watch the Panthers go on a run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, but he’s got a little history with Florida general manager Bill Zito. They were together at the 2018 IIHF World Championship with Team USA, winning a bronze medal with Kane leading the tournament in scoring and serving as captain while playing on a roster assembled by Zito. They left Denmark with fond memories and good vibes that spring.
Beyond that personal connection, a Kane signing would fit Zito’s “modus operandi” since taking over the Panthers’ hockey operations department. He’s repeatedly chased aggressive, splashy roster moves. His pitch will be strengthened by the fact that Florida has answered its biggest offseason question in a positive manner, remaining in the playoff chase while starting the year without injured defencemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, not to mention forward Sam Bennett.
Add it all together and the Panthers check a lot of boxes for Kane.
A strong start in the competitive Atlantic Division has been fueled in part by nine goals from Alex DeBrincat, who just happens to be a treasured Kane linemate from their days together in Chicago. There’s some appeal to reuniting on a team that finally appears to be taking flight after years in rebuild mode.
Detroit also boasts something in short supply right now around the NHL: real, actual cap space. With that, the Red Wings have a clearer path to adding Kane to their roster than most other teams.
The biggest question here is how close Kane believes the Red Wings are to entering a contention window and whether that lines up with where he’s at entering his 17th season.
Could Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat reunite in Detroit? (Harry How / Getty Images)There are many parallels between where the Sabres and Red Wings are organizationally, with the added wrinkle of Buffalo being the city where Kane was born and raised. And while there may have been a time when he wouldn’t have seriously considered the possibility of joining his hometown team, it’s hard to ignore the encouraging signs coming out of Western New York now.
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From a cap perspective, the Sabres also have the ability to simply sign Kane, with no other roster moves necessary, and they could even do so while leaving space for further additions later in the year.
Beyond that, Kane has ties to key people inside the organization — having played under Buffalo head coach Don Granato when Granato was an assistant in Chicago, and having roomed with Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams when they were teammates during Kane’s rookie season in 2007-08.
With a big decision before him now, will Kane’s heart and mind align in Buffalo?
Admittedly a longer-shot contender in this process, the possibility can’t be ruled out entirely.
What the Leafs don’t have is cap space or a gaping need for what Kane does best since they’re already rolling out Mitch Marner and William Nylander on right wing — who would come off the top power-play unit to make room for him? — but they do boast an appealing sell in the form of fellow American Auston Matthews. Matthews grew up idolizing Kane, so there could be some sentimental appeal for everyone involved with bringing that duo together.
It’s also notable that Kane spent a considerable amount of time in the Greater Toronto Area while rehabbing and recovering from hip surgery in recent months. Still, the four teams listed above are considered more likely destinations for No. 88 to land.
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(Top photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / USA Today)
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