Buffalo Sabres: Signing Patrick Kane in 2023 would make no sense

The supposed take is that the Buffalo Sabres are lacking a forward in the top six, and some outlets have noted Patrick Kane as a viable stopgap.

One day, in the not-so-distant future, Patrick Kane will hang up the skates for good and he will no longer find himself linked with the Buffalo Sabres. But until then, it appears that for as long as Kane is available to sign with a team in free agency, the Blue and Gold will always be a name associated with him.

We saw the same thing occur when he was in the trade rumor mill last season, and it was something I was vehemently against on several occasions dating back to the summer of 2022. I’m also against signing him for several reasons, with the biggest being that he, like Sabres winger Jack Quinn, is on the mend from surgery, so he won’t be ready to roll when the 2023-24 season begins.

For another, when Kane is cleared to play could occur around the same time Quinn gets clearance, which would create a surefire logjam at forward sometime between December and January. And finally, I’m having a hard time understanding how the conclusion was reached that the Sabres lack a top six forward, even without Quinn, and it’s the point I’d like to deeper into.

Buffalo Sabres have better options in the top six without Patrick Kane

Let’s assume for a minute that Quinn doesn’t return until January, but Kane is cleared to return closer to the four-month frame from his surgery, which means he could be ready to roll shortly before or after opening night. Here are a pair of top six options that we could see when the Sabres play the New York Rangers in October:

Option A

• Skinner – Tage – Tuch
• Peterka – Cozens – Mittelstadt

This is a lineup I’ve recently rolled with in my projections. We already know what Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Dylan Cozens can do, but do not underestimate J.J. Peterka or Casey Mittelstadt. Peterka made phenomenal strides during the final month-and-a-half of the regular season, while Mittelstadt was arguably the Sabres most productive player during that same span.

Option B

• Skinner – Tage – Tuch
• Peterka – Cozens – Olofsson

I know this is a lineup that most Buffalo Sabres fans don’t want to hear about, but the sheer upside with Victor Olofsson is that he can score. While I agree that his defense is horrendous – as are most aspects of his game, the Blue and Gold do have quite a scoring threat on their hands if Olofsson sticks around, and it looks as though it will be the case.

Some may argue that Kane would be a better player than Olofsson, but I digress. Kane isn’t just coming off of a major surgery, he’s also 34, and he was a turnover machine last season. Points-wise, Kane was also on the decline with just 57 in 73 contests. While this was more than what Olofsson gave the Sabres, it shows us that the once-great winger is clearly on the back nine of his career.

Further, what will Kane look like when he returns? If he doesn’t bounce back completely from offseason surgery, then he would be lucky to scratch the 50-point surface. At which point, rolling with Mittelstadt at right wing on the second line makes far more sense. And even if the Sabres went with Olofsson, he’s still likely to give you at least equal returns as Kane.

Source: Sabres’ biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NHL free agency by Colin Gallant, Clutch Points

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)