The New York Rangers know they won’t be able to keep all of their high-priced free agents, but recent events have certainly opened the door for some of them to potentially return.
After being traded to the Rangers back in March, and dealing with a hip injury throughout the 2022-23 regular season, Patrick Kane has received hip surgery according to his agent Pat Brisson. The timeline for recovery is 4-6 months according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet with doctors believing this won’t impact Kane’s future playing career.
Kane, 34, is an 18-year NHL veteran who has won the Hart Trophy and three Stanley Cup Championships. He also suffered one of the worst years of his career putting up some of the lowest points, goals and assist tallies in over a decade. In 19 games with the Blueshirts, the former first-overall pick in 2007 recorded 12 points on seven assists.
Surgery for his hip was not surprising for the veteran winger, but it could affect his looming free-agent candidacy.
“Of course, I would love to be back,” Kane said following the Rangers Game 7 loss to New Jersey. “If I could feel better, and with this team and with this opportunity, I’d love to have that chance. I know they have young guys to sign and probably other priorities, but I don’t have a bad thing to say about the organization and the situation. It was an amazing experience for me.”
New York currently has close to $12 million in cap space and has several pending free agents outside of Kane that are in line for lucrative extensions on the open market. Add in RFAs like K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere, and there isn’t a lot of room to keep some of the current stars on the roster for the Blueshirts.
While he has not closed the door on a potential return to New York, how the aging star goes through his recovery will be on the mind of any team that is looking to sign one of the best American-born players in NHL history.
And it may just lower the cost enough to have the Rangers do everything they can to keep him.
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