Patrick Kane is one of the best NHL players who ever lived. He is certainly amongst the greatest to ever come from the United States of America.
Patrick Kane was the number one overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. Since then, he has become a legend in the game. The Chicago Blackhawks had him from the second they selected him until the trade deadline in 2023.
The Hawks sent Kane over to the Rangers so he could try to win in the playoffs again. Unfortunately for him, the Rangers (with Kane) were eliminated in the first round by the New Jersey Devils.
At that point, he was a free agent with the ability to go wherever he was able to find a deal. He made it clear that he wanted to be healthy and ready to go when he signed somewhere.
When summer began, it came out that Kane was having hip surgery and was going to miss the start of the 2023-24 season. At 35 years old, he isn’t a young player anymore but he still has plenty more to give in his NHL career.
Patrick Kane would be amazing for the Florida Panthers going forward
It was a down year for Kane in terms of production but many believe that his hip issue had a lot to do with it. He had 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points in 73 games played. That is well behind his usual pace. For example, the year before saw him have 26 goals and 66 assists for 92 points.
If he is healthy, he should be able to be somewhere in between his last year and the year before. That will be especially true if he signs with a good team. There are a lot of squads that make sense for Kane but one stands out above the rest.
Kane should consider signing with the Florida Panthers. They are one of the best teams in the NHL and makes total sense for him.
Last season, Florida had a hot start, needed a hot run down the stretch to even get into the playoffs, upset the greatest regular season team of all time in the first round, and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup final before falling just short to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Someone with Kane’s experience would be perfect for the Panthers. He has won the Stanley Cup three times, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross, and has been an all-star multiple times. Kane also has 451 goals and 786 assists for 1237 points.
Not only would Florida’s ticket sales go skyrocketing, they’d be an even better team with Kane. They use Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk as their top-six right-wingers right now and they’d be smart to keep it that way.
Kane would be perfect on the third line with Anton Lundell and whoever they feel is the best option at left wing. The best options are Eetu Loustarinen and Nick Cousins. It would be an outstanding line with Lundell and Kane driving it together.
Florida is a team that could get to the Final with or without Kane. However, adding a guy with all of that offensive flare and experience in the postseason certainly wouldn’t hurt them. It is something that both sides should consider because it would be mutually beneficial.