Patrick Kane remains two or three months away from being ready to return to action following his June hip resurfacing procedure. Nevertheless, the 34-year-old free-agent winger has recently surfaced in the rumor mill as some pundits speculate over where he might sign.
TSN’s Darren Dreger believes a healthy Kane could help a lot of clubs this season. He recently indicated the Buffalo Sabres were among the interested parties.
Earlier this month, Dreger’s colleague Dave Poulin created a bit of a stir when his comments about Kane were misconstrued by some rumor sites to suggest the Toronto Maple Leafs could be among the suitors.
Poulin was asked if he were a GM if he’d be interested in signing Kane. He praised the potential future Hall of Famer and still considers him a highly talented player but didn’t specifically link Kane to the Leafs. He was speaking in general terms of whether they could get under the cap or accrue cap space for “players like that.”
On Sept. 22, Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon wondered if the Carolina Hurricanes could be Kane’s next team. He doesn’t see them as being in any danger of missing the playoffs but felt they need additional scoring to finally get over the playoff hump.
Dixon pointed out the Hurricanes acquired Max Pacioretty last summer to provide a boost to their scoring punch. However, he was limited to just five games in 2022-23 by a twice-torn Achilles heel.
In July, Kane’s agent Pat Brisson told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that his client will select the club that is the best fit and with the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes could tick those boxes for the three-time Cup champion.
