NHL Rumors: 3 potential landing spots for Patrick Kane

The 2023-24 NHL season is already underway, and winger Patrick Kane remains a free agent. His extended free agency is due to the hip surgery he underwent in the offseason. Kane continues to rehab from his injury while he weighs his options for what team to sign with.

Rumors floated around all summer and continue to swirl now that the season has started. Kane won’t be signing quite yet, but there are several teams that could be a good fit for him. He prefers to join a Stanley Cup contender, but will that be possible given the salary cap crunch? A team that’s in on Kane might need to do some maneuvering to fit him under the cap.

Kane spent most of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted him first overall in 2007. He was traded to the New York Rangers during the 2022-23 season when Chicago decided to go all in on a rebuild. Kane still has gas left in the tank, and he’s eager to prove he’s still a star following his surgery. As teams decide whether they’re in on Kane and he considers which team to join for the 2023-24 season, let’s take a look at some of the possible landing spots for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

3. Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres would be an interesting destination for Kane. At first glance, the Sabres don’t really seem like the best fit for him. They don’t meet his preferred criteria of being likely Stanley Cup contenders. They failed to make the playoffs last season. In fact, they haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, which is the longest playoff drought in the NHL. Considering some teams in the Eastern Conference got even stronger in the offseason, it’ll be a tough fight for them to make the playoffs this season.

However, there’s something to be said for a homecoming, and the Buffalo Sabres are Kane’s hometown team. He returned to his home state last season when he played for the Rangers, but playing for the Sabres would put him right at home. Insider Darren Dreger reported last month that Buffalo has interest. Insider Frank Seravalli agrees that the Sabres could be a fit. “Could you imagine Kane as one of those guys who could end this crazy long Sabres drought?” Seravalli wondered earlier this week.

Kane once thought he’d retire as a Blackhawk, but after a long tenure in Chicago, it just didn’t work out that way. Now in his mid-30s, perhaps retiring as a member of his hometown team would be fitting. The Sabres currently have around $9 million in cap space, which is more than enough to get a deal done. The Sabres are a team to watch as Kane gets closer to a free-agent signing decision.