Is Patrick Kane to the Buffalo Sabres a possible option in 2023?

Patrick Kane still remains unsigned. Could he end up on the Buffalo Sabres if he remains unsigned in the next days and weeks?

Patrick Kane remains unsigned. He is one of the top free agents remaining and the main reason why is because of an offseason procedure. Back in June, Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure and it would require 4-6 months to recover.

Before getting traded to the New York Rangers, the Buffalo native scored 16 goals and registered 29 assists in 54 games played with the Chicago Blackhawks. After getting dealt to the Rangers in March, he scored five goals and recorded seven assists in 19 games played.

He didn’t do much in the postseason as New York lost in the first round as he scored only one goal and had five assists. Even though he’s 34 years old, Kane is still a solid player to have on a roster. He can score and provide leadership for a team.

The Buffalo Sabres are so close to making a run for a playoff spot after having a successful season last year. Even though they didn’t make the postseason, they had one of their best seasons in a long time.

Looking at their cap space, they have about $6 million freed up. So it begs the question, could Pat end up signing with Buffalo as the days and weeks pass by? I’m going to give a counter argument for this question.

Could Patrick Kane end up with the Buffalo Sabres?

Here’s why it is possible. First and foremost, Kane is a Buffalo native. Not only will he provide leadership for this very young Sabres team, but he could end up being a solid depth piece. I know he’s not the dominant player he once was but he can still end up producing.

When it comes to not signing Kane, Buffalo is going to need the money to lock up Rasmus Dahlin AND Owen Power. I don’t think Kane will ask for big money at this stage of his career, but I’m sure Kevyn Adams would want to use the money for his two young and talented defensemen.

Another reason why I don’t think it’ll happen is because of his offseason procedure. Even though he got it done to help him play longer, who knows when he’ll be cleared to play and if it will slow him down a bit?

It’s hard to speculate with the medical stuff but when all is said and done, I don’t think Buffalo will sign him. I just think they want to use the money for their own homegrown talent which totally makes sense.

At the same time however, I would not be mad if the Buffalo Sabres did sign Kane for the reasons I mentioned earlier. We’ll see what happens in the coming days, weeks and months but regardless, I trust Adams to do what’s best for the team.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)