Over 10 years ago, the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews dominated the league while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. Not only did they drive in the individual awards, with Kane winning the Art Ross Trophy during the 2015-16 campaign and Toews winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy during the 2012-13 campaign among others, but they also won the Stanley Cup three times over a six-year period between 2010 and 2015.
While Toews only recently returned to hockey after leaving to recover from long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome and might not return next season, Kane is set to continue playing next year and could be a significant part of any playoff team looking to secure his services.
During the 2025-26 campaign, Kane scored 16 goals while recording 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games, a slight dip from the 59 points that he recorded while playing 72 games during the 2024-25 season. While both totals are decreases from his past point totals, including a 110-point haul during the 2018-19 campaign and a 92-point season three years later, they were still good enough to make him one of the Detroit Red Wings' top-five point-scorers on both occasions.
With Alex Tuch's future with the Buffalo Sabres still on ice — the Syracuse native recently indicated that there remain plenty of unknowns with regard to talks — there is still a chance that either Tuch decides that his future is not in Buffalo or that the Jarmo Kekalainen-led front office balks at a significant pay raise.
Why Patrick Kane is the perfect Alex Tuch replacement
For Sabres fans concerned about Kane's inability to get close to his past point totals, he can put together strong playoff numbers. Considering that Tuch struggled to find his form at times during his playoff career, that in itself is a significant upgrade.
Each time Kane has played in the playoffs, he has scored around at least a point-per-game pace. While the two points he recorded during a first-round sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators is the exception to this rule, he has scored as many as 28 points in past postseasons. Sure, those were at least 10 years ago, but that is still postseason experience.
When adding Kane to a Sabres roster that just endured its first postseason run since 2011, you get a team that is more than capable of winning the tough mid-to-late season games against playoff teams and that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the playoffs. And if the scoring touch that Kane brings wherever he goes can reignite one more time, the Sabres could have one of the more unbeatable rosters in the entire league.
While Tuch is a Syracuse native and has long been a Sabres fan, the same can be said for Kane. Not only was he from Buffalo proper, but he, like Tuch, was a Sabres fan. And past rumors linked the Sabres to Kane in 2023, when he was coming off a 57-point campaign with the Blackhawks and New York Rangers. The management and coaching staff might look significantly different now, but there are clearly some past links when it comes to Kane potentially joining the Sabres.
What would it take for the Buffalo Sabres to land Patrick Kane?
Kane's current deal is worth $3 million annually, though that does not include the $3 million in bonuses that he accumulated this past season. His previous deal was worth $4 million, with his bonuses totaling $2.5 million.
Considering the above, it feels reasonable that the Sabres are going to need to set aside roughly $6 million to even entice Kane to sign. That said, the chance that they can get him locked into a one-year deal is quite favorable; Kane's last three contracts (all with Detroit) were one-year deals, and Kane will be turning 38 this November. It is worth noting that Kane's former Western Conference rival, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, just retired at the age of 38, perhaps hinting that Kane might not be that far behind in terms of his own departure from the NHL.
Whether it comes after the 2026-27 season or not remains to be seen. But if Buffalo can claim that they are better poised than Detroit in terms of contending, then that could be enough to pry Kane away from the octopus tentacles.
While Kane could take up almost half of Buffalo's $13 million in cap space, potentially handicapping Kekalainen and Co.'s ability to re-sign key UFA and RFA's, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to field a roster with one of the NHL's most well-known scoring wingers, even if he may be closer to the end of his career. The hometown connection adds to the intrigue.
It won't be the first item on Kekalainen's summer to-do list, but it's something to consider if Tuch ultimately leaves the Sabres in free agency this offseason.
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