Leafs among handful of teams in Patrick Kane sweepstakes: report

We’re already one month into the NHL season and free agent forward Patrick Kane is still without a contract. And while the 34-year-old and his agent narrow down a list of teams he’d sign with, the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to be remaining in the mix.

According to a new report from The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, there are five teams Kane could realistically join this year, as per league sources: The New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

While Johnston included the Leafs as one of five options in “a team-by-team look at the destinations where league sources believe he is most likely to land,” he called them “admittedly a longer-shot contender in this process.”

“What the Leafs don’t have is cap space or a gaping need for what Kane does best since they’re already rolling out Mitch Marner and William Nylander on right wing,” Johnston wrote. “But they do boast an appealing sell in the form of fellow American Auston Matthews. Matthews grew up idolizing Kane, so there could be some sentimental appeal for everyone involved with bringing that duo together.”

Johnston also noted that Kane spent “a considerable amount of time in the Greater Toronto Area” while rehabbing and recovering from hip surgery in recent months.

With virtually no cap space remaining, the Leafs would have to move some money out if they wanted to sing the Buffalo native, whose latest contract saw him earning $10.5 million a year.

But given Kane’s age, his slew of recent injuries, and the fact that the season has already begun, it’s likely that he will take a pay cut.

With that said, the other four teams on the list remain more likely to be landing spots for Kane, but if negotiations don’t pan out, anything can happen.

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