Report: Patrick Kane not likely to sign NHL contract prior to the season

According to a recent article from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, former Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane will likely not sign a contract before the 2023-24 season begins in October. On June 1 Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 months. That would mean he should return sometime between October and December. This gives him an opportunity to see how his future team plays in the 2023-24 season before ultimately making his decision.

Kane played the 2022-23 season split between the Blackhawks and New York Rangers, after he was traded there at the trade deadline. The Rangers only had to give up a third-round pick for the future hall of famer. He ended up playing 19 games in the regular season for them, scoring 12 points as well as seven playoff games where he put up six points in the series that saw the Rangers lose in seven games to the New Jersey Devils.

It is unclear at this point where Kane will end up playing this year, his agent Pat Brisson gave some indication on the thought process heading into an uncertain part of his career and life. “This is one I’m very comfortable with. I’m very calm,” Pat Brisson said of Kane. “You could offer me a one-year deal or a two-year deal right now at $7 million or so. I don’t even know if I want to entertain it, because it’s not what he needs. We’ll see, at the right time, how he feels, where he’s at, and then we’ll take it from there.”

Although the 2022-23 season didn’t quite go the way Kane would have liked, he had a solid campaign with 21 goals and 57 points in 73 games. Kane will turn 35 in November of this year and is probably looking a 1-3 year deal with whichever team signs him. The problem for him is that most teams won’t have much cap space, if at all, by the time Kane returns from injury. His hometown team, the Buffalo Sabres come to mind as a team that should have ample cap space and could be a good destination for the skilled winger.