Buffalo native nearing return to the NHL and has a number of suitors
The Buffalo Sabres have started out 6-6-1 but have hopes of becoming more consistent as the 2023-24 regular season evolves. The Sabres appear focused on promoting some of their young prospects, but rumors persist that the club could be a potential destination for three-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane.
The 34-year-old winger (who turns 35 on November 19) finished last season with the New York Rangers after being dealt by Chicago but did not re-sign with the Rangers and is currently an unrestricted free agent.
Kane underwent off-season hip resurfacing surgery but is fully recovered and according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, agent Pat Brisson has begun to speak directly with teams that he is interested in playing for.
Johnston indicates that Kane is looking for a club that he thinks is capable of winning the Stanley Cup and where he could play for longer than the rest of this season, and says that returning to the Rangers is possible and that Florida, Detroit, and Toronto are possibilities, but that the hometown Sabres are also on the list of potential destinations.
Based on the Sabres having a great deal of potential, and connections to head coach Don Granato (a former Hawks assistant coach) and GM Kevyn Adams (Kane’s former roommate as a rookie), Buffalo is considered a potential destination.
The Sabres would be foolish to not consider Kane if he wanted to play for them, since he would provide them with valuable Stanley Cup experience that only defenseman Erik Johnson has, but Buffalo is loaded up front and will be getting injured winger Jack Quinn at some point this season, and it is questionable whether they meet the criteria of being a Cup contender at this point.
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