Are Red Wings, Sabres Both Eyeing Patrick Kane?

Patrick Kane agent Pat Brisson told ESPN’s Emily Kaplin that he will start talking to teams about his client in early November and then play later that month or early in December.

Kane, 34, is  4 1/2 months removed from hip resurfacing surgery. Kaplin further reported that he is already cleared for contact. He has been intensely rehabilitating the injury.

The return projection isn’t etched in stone because Kane wants to make sure the hip is 100% fit for duty. His hip injury curtailed his mobility and made it painful to play last season.

The timetable is important to many teams around the league, including the Detroit Red Wings, because there’s hope that Kane can again be the player he was two seasons ago when he put up 92 points.

DeBrincat Connection

The Red Wings, for multiple reasons have been listed as a possible suitor. First, Kane and Alex DeBrincat played together in Chicago and Kane has said publicly he would like to play again with DeBrincat.

Second, Kane has history in Michigan. He billeted with former Red Wings assistant general manager Pat Verbeek when he played for the HoneyBaked Ham program years ago. He also lived in Michigan when he played for the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Third, Kane is known as a highly competitive, no-quit-in-him player and Yzerman respects those kind of athletes.

Finally, the Red Wings’ stated goal is to upgrade their offense and Kane, presuming he is fully healthy, could help. Also, not many teams have cap space and the Red Wings have roughly $4 million in cap space.

How Will Kane View Red Wings?

Brisson did also tell Kaplin that it is too early to talk about teams, and he’s probably right. Injuries and won-loss records over the next few weeks could influence bidding. It’s presumed he wants to go to a team that has an opportunity to win. It’s hard for Detroiters to know what to make of the Red Wings’ start? How does Kane feel about it?

Kaplin had her own list of potential landing spots for Kane, which included the Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. The Panthers, Stars and Rangers clearly provide him with a better opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup.

The Sabres are intriguing for multiple reasons, including they are Detroit’s Atlantic Division and they had the NHL’s highest-scoring offense last season. They also have more than $9 million in cap space.

For a long time, it was said that Kane didn’t want to play in his hometown. But Kaplin reports that he is interested in Buffalo because of the relationships he has with general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato.