Kane could still skate into Boston
Free agent, 35, is mulling Red Wings, Panthers, too
Mounting leaguewide speculation in recent days has been Patrick Kane, the prolific former Blackhawks right winger, will sign a contract this week, most likely with either the Red Wings or Panthers.
But don’t rule out the Bruins.
According to two league sources, Kane, who turned 35 in November and is an unrestricted free agent, includes Boston among the teams he’d consider joining.
Kane’s 1,237 career points rank behind only Sidney Crosby (1,304) and Alex Ovechkin (1,299) since he entered the NHL in 2007-08. If Kane is back near full strength following offseason hip surgery, he has the potential to be a formidable offensive force, particularly on the power play, where he has piled up 402 points.
Pat Brisson, Kane’s agent, opted not to comment on whether Kane could be signing with the Bruins. Overall, the decision is not an “easy one” for his client, noted Brisson, adding that the process could be concluded in a couple of days.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said via e-mail he did not have “anything to add at this time.”
In the days leading up to July 1, 2018, free agency, Sweeney confirmed reports that he made an offer to sign 35-year-old scoring icon Ilya Kovalchuk. The Bruins ultimately put a twoyear deal on the table, but they were trumped by the Kings, who signed the Russian winger for three years, $18.75 million.
Kovalchuk, his speed and determination gone, was a bust. The Kings cut him free the following season and he signed with the Canadiens, who later that same season wheeled him to the Capitals, with whom he took his final NHL shifts.
Kane, a shiftier and more clever scorer than Kovalchuk, was dealt from the Blackhawks to the Rangers prior to last season’s trade deadline. Even with a bad hip, which resurfaced at the start of the postseason, he delivered 5 goals and 12 points in 19 regular-season games with New York, then added 1-5—6 in seven games against New Jersey in the playoffs. He was outscored only by Rangers Chris Kreider (9 points) and Adam Fox (8) in the truncated playoff run.
Kane is not eligible to sign a cap-friendly deal with substantial salary deferred that would be similar to those signed with the Bruins prior to last season by Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
That over-age-35 salary issue could prove to be an impediment for the Bruins, who, like many of the league’s top contending teams, are tight up against the cap. Financially, he’s a hard add under the league’s restrictive cap system.
Kane’s expired deal in Chicago, signed in 2014, carried a $10.5 million cap hit. No telling how high clubs could bid, but a reasonable target could be a three- or four-year deal for upward of $20 million.
The Bruins, per puckpedia.com, have less than $1 million in cap space. To accommodate a $5 million cap hit, even if reduced by 25 percent to reflect a season one-quarter in progress, the Bruins almost certainly would have to offload some salary via a trade.