Debate! Will the Buffalo Sabres ever pursue Patrick Kane?
While the sports media has all but hushed up the idea of Patrick Kane coming to the Buffalo Sabres, the debate among the fan base remains alive and well.
Last year, the Buffalo Sabres shipped Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights for draft picks, Peyton Krebs, and hometown hero, Alex Tuch. This season, with the Chicago Blackhawks having pulled off a pre-draft blockbuster involving sending winger Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators, speculation continues whether they will ship Kane out of town.
Of course, Buffalo is a natural landing spot considering Kane’s ties to the place. But with just one season remaining on his AAV of $10 million deal juxtaposed by the fact he isn’t getting younger, some fans would rather not see a trade occur.
Settling the great debate of whether Patrick Kane will ever join the Buffalo Sabres
But there is more. Still some fans would love to see Kane come to Buffalo, but on a long-term deal. This would entail Kane playing one more season for the Blackhawks. Or if he is traded, playing (less than) one year in another city before coming to Buffalo.
This is a debate that will most likely be an ongoing one until at least free agency kicks off next year, even if Kane spent some or all of 2022-23 playing in another city. Why? If the Sabres happen to be winning, and they very well could be, and whoever Kane is playing for isn’t winning, he will be trade bait at the 2023 trade deadline.
If Kane isn’t traded by the deadline, then he can always become an unrestricted free agent unless the Blackhawks or someone else he may be playing for reaches a long-term deal to keep him around. So the question to today’s article was a simple one: Will the Buffalo Sabres ever pursue Patrick Kane?
Will the Buffalo Sabres trade for Kane?
Here is my guess: The Sabres will not pursue Patrick Kane via a trade. While they have plenty of solid prospects and perhaps a forward or two like Casey Mittelstadt they can give up on, cutting ties with so much young talent for the aging Kane just isn’t logical unless the Sabres are winning by the trade deadline.
But even then, there is no guarantee Kane sticks around. So for a young team like the Buffalo Sabres, even if they are winning by the trade deadline, don’t expect them to be buyers. One reason is that, as a young team exceeding expectations, what is the logic of trading away young talent for an older player like Kane?
It makes absolutely no sense. Now, suppose the Sabres were winning for the last five seasons but had yet to make a Stanley Cup Final appearance. In this situation then yes, trading for Kane would be perfectly feasible. Even if he was only wearing the blue and gold for two months.
But the reality is, the Sabres, who, if they are winning when the deadline rolls around, are not even a single season into winning consistently, won’t be on Kane’s radar. And likewise, he won’t be on their radar. If Kane came to Buffalo between now and the trade deadline, I’d be beyond shocked.
Will the Buffalo Sabres try to sign Kane?
In this scenario, Patrick Kane would play the entire season either for the Blackhawks or if they do trade him, for someone else. But the respective team would let him walk in free agency. In this case, however, Kane still doesn’t align with the Buffalo Sabres plans.
The Sabres rightfully want to hang onto their own players like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, both of whom are evolving into franchise cornerstones. And they want to have enough cap space to hold onto as many from their core as they can.
This means Kane will most certainly not be in the cards in 2023. His past contract comprised an AAV of $10 million, and if he is seeking something similar plus a long-term deal, even at 34, forget about him coming to Buffalo.
This offseason, general manager Kevyn Adams’ actions backed up his words. The Sabres will build through the NHL Draft. They will sign free agents in a supplementary way, and they will not make a huge splash.
Related Story. Time to debunk the Kane to Buffalo rumors. light
So I hate to be the conveyor of bad news for those in the UFA or Trade camps, but the likelihood of Kane coming to Buffalo via trade or free agency is not happening. Many things are possible, but Patrick Kane coming to Buffalo isn’t one of them.