Time to debunk the Patrick Kane to the Buffalo Sabres rumors

The Buffalo Sabres will not trade for Patrick Kane this offseason. But still, rumor mills will not seemingly go down without a fight.

The Hockey Writers have once again stirred the Kane to the Buffalo Sabres rumor mill and then some, citing they could pull off a blockbuster trade with not just one, but three different players in the Windy City. Last month, I wrote an identical piece about three potential scenarios regarding a blockbuster trade regarding Alex DeBrincat (now an Ottawa Senator), Kane, and Jake McCabe.

The trade proposal for Kane involved sending RFAs Jacob Bryson and Victor Olofsson, plus a 2023 first round pick, Erik Portillo, and Ryan Johnson to Chicago for Kane. However, this scenario was merely written in response from another article via Da Windy City, and I further stated that it was something I did not see occurring.

Since that proposal, Bryson re-signed for two seasons while news broke that Olofsson and the Sabres are also closing in on a deal. But recent news isn’t the only reason I don’t see Kane coming to the Queen City.

The main reason Patrick Kane is not joining the Buffalo Sabres via trade

The Sabres won’t trade for Kane because his cap hit in 2022-23 of $10.5 million is just way too high for a 33-year-old player. He is also in a contract year, meaning the Sabres would need to re-sign him to a long-term deal following the season. At which point, Kane would be 34, and such a move would cut into cap space that could be used to re-sign younger talent like Tage Thompson.

And while The Hockey Writers are absolutely correct when they say Kane remains one of the league’s most prominent players, it still makes no sense for him to join a team full of youth that is bent on retaining their own talent. It’s something the Sabres proved when they re-signed Bryson. And it is something they will prove again when Olofsson sticks around.

The article (sourced below), also talked about potential blockbuster trades regarding Petr Mrázek and Jonathan Toews to the Sabres. Like Kane, both players are in their 30s, and the Sabres have younger options that better fit the mold of what they are trying to accomplish rather than to dish out millions to aging chess pieces.

If Kane were five years younger, I would say there was a possibility. Or, if the Sabres were already in contention, I would be even more comfortable in saying this trade could go down. But this season, the Sabres are, at best, going to contend for a wild card. And in doing so, they are going to use their cap space retain homegrown talent, setting the stage for 2023 and beyond.

Article Source: Blackhawks & Sabres Could Orchestrate Offseason’s Biggest Blockbuster by Shaun Filippelli.