One of the bigger names remaining on the free agent market is the three-time Stanley Cup Champion, Patrick Kane.
Kane is rehabbing from having offseason hip surgery and the question will be how much he will be able to contribute. Look, we saw different players recover at a different pace from this surgery. Nicklas Backstrom in Washington is finally fully healthy and he had a similar surgery.
But when Kane is 100 percent healthy, he is looking to not just play this year but several more years to come. And with him being in Toronto for his rehab and recovery, speculation has led to him potentially joining the Toronto Maple Leafs or Buffalo Sabres as Darren Dreger explained on Friday on TSN Radio.
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Host: “Dreger this isn’t Toronto Maple Leafs related but this is Toronto related because as you reported yesterday (Thursday), Patrick is living and getting his rehab done in Toronto and is a couple of weeks and months away from being fully healthy to join an NHL roster, but what can you tell us about the future of Patrick Kane? And does him being in Toronto connect any dots?”
Dreger: Laughs. “Well, it does for talk radio. And we can’t dismiss it out of hand automatically you say ok well can you see Patrick Kane being a good fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Well, if William Nylander is a good at center, and he comes a lock there you could definitely envision an upgrade on that right side.
Now, again it would come at the expense of one of the existing right-wingers. The issue is always money. Now Patty Kane doesn’t turn 35 until November. My understanding of the collecting bargaining agreement, you have to be 35 as of June 30th of the next season to qualify for that one-year contract that can be bonus-driven.
Right, so the salary will be low. The bonuses could be significant, attainable, and achievable bonuses and away you go. Well, that would be for a year from now. Specific to Patty Kane. Again if my understanding of the collective bargaining agreement is accurate.
But Brad Treliving would still inquire and he probably has already had conversations with Pat Brisson, who represents Patrick Kane. But let’s go down the road a little but this year, I think the Buffalo Sabres are more likely than the Toronto Maple Leafs. If we are keeping geographically in tune here.
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In saying that, if you do expand across the league if the procedure that Patrick Kane had is a successful one, the hip surgery, and he is more or less pain-free and his mobility is back and all of those things, why if you are a contending team or a team that s on the upswing, why wouldn’t you have interest in Patrick Kane.
And Buffalo is one of those teams that is deeply interested in Patrick Kane. There is history there with Donny Granato, with Kevyn Adams, the coach and general manager and obviously, there is history with Patrick Kane and his family in Buffalo going back many many years.
So there is not going to be a shortage of interest and normally that means that the money does become a factor and that might get too steep for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
