Updated at 10:18 AM: Red Wings forward and pending unrestricted free agent Patrick Kane may leave the Red Wings, and he may end up re-signing with Detroit today, as he has two times before this.
But the hype about Kane as a free agent is getting a little silly. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, who I respect greatly, believes that Kane’s text message to #1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna is proof that Kane wants to relocate to Toronto…
Among the congratulatory messages that flooded Gavin McKenna’s phone upon being drafted No. 1 overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, one stood out.
“Patrick Kane texted me,” McKenna said. “He’s my idol, so that was cool.”
Even cooler?
The idea of Kane — who is still putting up 0.85 points per game at age 37 — joining the three other first-overall picks in Toronto on Canada Day.
Don’t rule it out.
While Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman hasn’t closed the door, the all-time leading U.S.-born scorer is believed to be changing sweaters once again.
The Maple Leafs, captained by Auston Matthews (another boyhood Kane-iac), were keen to acquire the future Hall of Famer when he first got traded away from Chicago in 2023, and general manager John Chayka is eager to round out a forward group that has taken a significant hit since March.
I have no idea where this information is coming from, but Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin is buying into the hype:
11. Patrick Kane, RW, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 37
2025-26 cap hit: $3,000,000When healthy, Kane can still be a power-play asset at this stage of his career. He also ended his season with 25 points over his final 24 games following the Olympic break. But Detroit’s playoff drought has reached 10 years. He’s been productive enough alongside Alex DeBrincat to warrant returning, but would it be a smart move from Kane’s perspective? Surely he wants another shot at a deep spring run. With Dylan Larkin requesting a trade, it remains to be seen if the Wings take a step backward this offseason. Kane only has so many more seasons left in him.
Again, Kane has the same agent as Larkin in CAA’s Pat Brisson, and he has been linked to Toronto and Buffalo, among other teams, but my gut feeling is that he’s going to stay in Detroit to see things out.
I’d give it a 60%-staying-to-40%-leaving set of odds, however, because I could see Kane exiting to join a team whose playoff status is much more certain than Detroit’s.
We’ll see today and tomorrow. He usually signs an incentive-laden contract with a full salary cap hit of $5 million to $6 million.
Update: Hockey 365’s Frank Seravalli believes that Kane’s shuffling off to Buffalo:
What if a Patrick Kane homecoming is part of the plan for the Buffalo Sabres to help replace Alex Tuch?
The Sabres made a pitch years ago to bring Showtime back to Western New York. They weren’t then in a place to be taken seriously as a contender. Now, after three seasons in Hockeytown, Kane’s hometown may be calling again – this time after whirring past the Winged Wheel in the Atlantic Division to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kane, now 37, collected 57 points in 61 games for the Red Wings last season. The Sabres traded Tuch’s signing rights to Washington last week as the No. 1 free agent available and he subsequently signed an $84 million extension over eight years. Tuch, 30, scored double the number of goals as Kane but managed just nine more points than Kane in 19 more games. They are not the same style of players, of course, as Tuch can help drive play off the wing with his speed. Kane is more of a specialist at this point in his career, a patient playmaker, but the productivity numbers make for an interesting case – to say nothing of the price difference.
Can you imagine the storyline of an incredibly proud hockey market finally returning to glory and bringing home one of its most famous sons?
Stay tuned. The Sabres wouldn’t be alone in their interest; another recent suitor, the Toronto Maple Leafs, could be in the mix to unite Gavin McKenna with his childhood hero.
