The Buffalo Sabres have been relatively quiet in free agency and have yet to sign any players who are expected to help out the NHL roster. For most of July, the idea of Patrick Kane returning home to Buffalo has been out there and is something that continues to be talked about.
At this point, the general thought is that he won't return to Detroit, and his decision is really down to Chicago and Buffalo. Between those two teams, the Sabres make the most sense just from a competitive perspective as they were a playoff team last season, while the Blackhawks remain seemingly in a constant rebuild.
However, the longer this drags out more teams might emerge in showing interest in the former All-Star forward. That seems to be the case, according to David Pagnotta, who mentioned while on Toronto Sports Rush that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a potential team for Kane next season.
"It doesn't sound like he is going back to Detroit. There's a lot of people wondering is Buffalo an option and does he finally go home. Does he go back to Chicago? I think there's been some conversations with Toronto, but I think very loose," Pagnotta said.
Buffalo Sabres can't afford to let Patrick Kane go to the Toronto Maple Leafs
For the longest time, the rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres has been very lopsided. The Maple Leafs have consistently been one of the best teams in the Atlantic Division, while the Sabres have been picking in the Top 10.
That flipped this past season as the Sabres went on to win the division, while the Maple Leafs had a disastrous season, and the only silver lining was getting the first overall pick. With a new general manager, the Maple Leafs have been aggressive this offseason to try to get back into playoff contention.
At this point, it's tough to gauge where the conversations are between the Sabres and Patrick Kane. It seems like a no-brainer from Buffalo's perspective to add a veteran scorer like Kane, who could be an upgrade for their middle-six. However, they have a bit of a logjam at forward and might be waiting to sign Kane until after a potential trade for Connor Hellebuyck.
However, the longer this drags on, the chances that Kane goes elsewhere only grow, and teams like Toronto could make a push. As Pagnotta notes, the Maple Leafs right now have some salary cap issues, and according to Puckpedia, are about $2.75 million over. They have to make moves to get under the salary cap without even including a potential contract for Patrick Kane.
It would be a great story to see Patrick Kane to return to his hometown and play for the Sabres before it calls it a career. However, it would be just as much a nightmare to see him join a rival like the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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