Buffalo Sabres: 3 more reasons Patrick Kane is not a good fit

Let’s face it. As long as Patrick Kane plays for a rebuilding team, pundits will always try to link him to the Buffalo Sabres. Even if he is a bad fit.

The Patrick Kane to the Buffalo Sabres storyline is now heading into its third month. If you remember correctly, I wrote my first article about this debacle back in June. It is now August 4th, and with each passing month, high-authority outlets continue to write up whether or not the Sabres acquiring Kane makes sense.

Let me be clear: Acquiring Patrick Kane makes zero sense for the Sabres. For one, he is playing in a contract year, in which he will cost the Chicago Blackhawks $6.9 million in 2022-23, with an overall cap hit of $10.5 million. That second number is important, because Kane’s reps may still seek something near the $10.5 million mark, or slightly below it. But more on that later.

So acquiring Kane would totally contradict what general manager Kevyn Adams and company are looking to do, which is, and it is something I’ve said in dozens of articles, to build a nucleus of talented, young players, and sign them to long-term deals.

Kane is a talented player who put up 92 points last season. And it is one reason why Kane’s supporters in the Sabres faithful want him. But the guy will be 34 years old and heading into his 16th NHL season.

And a deeper look into Kane’s stats, such as his 9.1 shooting percentage, 49 giveaways (second-highest of his career), and 42 takeaways (sixth-lowest of his career), indicate that he may be a player in decline.

3 reasons Patrick Kane is not a good fit for the Sabres neither in 2022 nor beyond: Reason #1 – Asking price is way too high

To acquire Kane, the Buffalo Sabres would be giving up multiple first round picks. And since they have not seen the playoffs in over a decade, they are in no position to part ways with anything that will deflate their prospect pool just yet. The Blackhawks would also demand a high-end prospect, which the Sabres are also not about to part ways with.

You can also expect more, lower draft picks and prospects to be involved in this one, and perhaps a forward like Casey Mittelstadt. Again, this trade makes no sense whatsoever for the Sabres because not only is the asking price too high; it would also require them to give up too many young assets for a 34-year-old forward heading into his 16th season.

Kane may have scored his points, but as the numbers in the previous section indicated, he is already leaning into a decline. If the Sabres were Stanley Cup or even playoff contenders, such a trade would make sense. But they won’t contend for a Cup for at least another two seasons, at which point Kane would be 36 and heading into his 18th year.