Insider reveals the finalists in the Patrick Kane sweepstakes

Former Chicago Blackhawk and New York Ranger Patrick Kane underwent hip surgery in the off-season and has been undergoing rehab and training in the Toronto-area for a few months as he looks to ease his way back into the game.

Kane has been back on the ice for over a month now and, over the past couple of weeks, has been meeting with teams to determine where he wants to play this season (and possibly longer). From the onset, his hometown Buffalo Sabres had been listed as a favourite to land the 3-time Stanley Cup Champion and with a decision expected to come later this week or next, we now know who his top-three choices may be.

On the NHL Network yesterday, Elliotte Friedman revealed that, along with Buffalo, the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings are the favourites for the 35-year-old winger. On TSN's Insider Trading yesterday, it was also reported by Darren Dreger that Kane did meet with the Leafs via Zoom, but given the cap constraints the Leafs are facing, it seems highly unlikely that Kane will end up in the blue and white.

Of Kane's top choices, Buffalo has the most cap space with just over $10.1M to spend. Detroit has $6.4M in cap space while the Panthers have the least with only $630K. Unless Florida is able to off-load a significant amount of salary, it appears that Kane will be staying close to the boarder and signing with either Buffalo or Detroit. Friedman had mentioned that there are Western Conference teams interested in his services, but Kane and his camp are wary of what the amount of travel that playing in the West could do to his body following surgery.


Kane is two seasons removed from a 92-point season and is coming off of a season where he posted 57 points in 73 games split between Chicago and the New York Rangers, so his ask in terms of annual salary is somewhat unknown at this point.

Not only is his salary unknown, but the length of deal he is seeking is also a bit of a mystery. Does he want to sign a team-friendly 1-year deal somewhere or does he want a deal in the 3-4 year range? Those questions will likely be answered over the next week or so as Kane prepares to make his decision.