What’s the market for Patrick Kane this summer?

Patrick Kane was just announced to have undergone a hip resurfacing surgery, one that will keep him out for the next 4-6 months. It’s the same type of surgery that Nicklas Backstrom and Carl Hagelin underwent, with the former coming back not looking the same, and the latter’s future up in the air as he is a free agent this summer.

Like Hagelin, Kane is also a free agent this summer, but his legacy will likely mean that he gets a contract at some point, but what it will look like comes with a lot more uncertainty. Will a team be willing to break the bank with him not knowing what they’ll get in hopes that he returns to normal, or will they be hesitant and need to see him get healthy before signing him to a deal, or even take him on a cheap, one-year “show me” deal? Or does Kane decide to wait until after he’s healed to get a better lay of what teams are looking like Cup contenders and sign with them?

There’s plenty of ways Kane’s surgery could drastically alter the market for him, and Frank Seravalli and Mike McKenna discussed what it could look like on Daily Faceoff Live.

Mike McKenna: If I’m a general manager, I’m not touching Patrick Kane until I see he’s healthy again.

Frank Seravalli: I want to see him skating again too.

Mike McKenna: Yeah! If you watched Nicklas Backstrom last year, he just wasn’t the same player. I don’t care how much technology’s progressed, this is a big time surgery, and you’ve got to wait. If I’m a GM, I’m not going to gamble on this unless you can somehow bargain barrel Patrick Kane and say “Hey, we’ll give you $1 million and hope you’re good.”

Frank Seravalli: That’s a no-risk type of scenario.

Mike McKenna: That’s what I mean! It would have to be an absolute lay-up…

Frank Seravalli: But maybe he signs for that anyway, because by the time December rolls around, most teams have already spent their cap.

Mike McKenna: That’s why you got to ask those questions as a GM. And I think Kane’s going to have to make the choice of where he wants to go, which is nice because the ball’s probably in his court if he can get that type of deal for him.

You can watch the full episode here…