Patrick Kane's best NHL landing spots as he gets closer to a return

Guys like Patrick Kane aren't usually available in free agency when the NHL regular season is less than two weeks away.

Sure, Kane is 34, he's coming off a subpar season by his standards, and he's recovering from hip surgery. While it's a bit unclear what he has to offer right now, he's still just one season removed from a 92-point campaign.

Even during a relatively quiet stint with the New York Rangers in 2022-23, he had moments where he showed his sublime skill set is still intact.

On Wednesday, Kane injected himself into the news cycle when his agency posted a video of the winger doing drills — suggesting that a return to NHL action isn't too far away.

As Kane gets closer to joining a new squad, it's worth evaluating what his market could look like now that the dust has settled on the offseason.

Potential landing spots for the veteran fall into two primary categories:

Where Kane can go if he wants to make some money

Buffalo Sabres: This is the most obvious fit. Kane is a Buffalo native, the Sabres have $8.78 million in cap space, and while the franchise is in the midst of a playoff drought, the 2023-24 edition of the squad projects to be solid — particularly if rookie goaltender Devon Levi can hold up.

The Sabres had plenty of offense last season, ranking third in the NHL in scoring, but a little more firepower never hurt anyone. It's easy to imagine Kane sliding in on the team's second line alongside Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt.

Nashville Predators: Nashville probably isn't quite good enough to interest Kane, though the team's core includes some blue-chip talent. The Predators seem to be perpetually in need of scoring punch, and the 34-year-old would look good alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly.

This is probably a bridge too far, but players seem to love Nashville, the Predators have just under $8 million in cap space, and the on-ice fit is a neat one.

Chicago Blackhawks: Kane engineered a midseason exit from Chicago last season, but it's possible the idea of playing alongside Connor Bedard would be intriguing enough to bring him back. The Blackhawks have cap space to burn ($12.86 million) and could compensate Kane handsomely to come home.

Even so, it's tough to imagine this working out. Chicago may want to turn the page, and Kane is deep enough into his career that signing with a team with no immediate-term competitive aspirations could be unpalatable.

Where Kane can go if he's willing to take very little

New Jersey Devils: There is plenty of buzz around the Devils on the heels of their 112-point season, and considering their quantity of young talent, it's possible they get even better in 2023-24.

Although New Jersey has just $1.86 million in cap space, Kane could conceivably fall in love with the idea of helping this promising squad's rapid ascent. There's also a clear spot for the American star, with the second-line right-wing slot currently being occupied by Alexander Holtz, who is both unproven and waiver-exempt.

It's possible Holtz's time is now, but the Devils would be justified in trying to roll with Kane for a year while giving the youngster more development time.

Seattle Kraken: The Kraken are known for having plenty of quality players but less star power than most Western Conference powers. Adding Kane would help them in that area.

There could be reluctance on both sides of this equation, as Seattle may want to stay nimble and Kane might not see the Kraken as enough of a contender to consider them. Even so, it's worth contemplating for each party.

Anywhere willing to pay a hefty price to open up some cap space: Contenders with less than $1 million in cap space that may appeal to Kane include the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars and the Rangers squad he finished 2022-23 with.

In order to accommodate the winger, other moves would be needed, and if the Shane Pinto situation is anything to go on, getting rebuilding teams to take on contracts is a tall order these days.