Patrick Kane targeted by Canadian suitor ahead of free agency!

There is no doubt that veteran forward Patrick Kane still has a lot left in the tank. In 72 games this past season with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane put up 59 points and 21 goals, and proved to the world he remains one of the top players out there. But he is also one of nine unrestricted and restricted free agents the Red Wings need to evaluate and look to re-sign, and of course, Kane’s status has a lot of rival teams intrigued.

And one of them is none other than the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving made it clear that significant changes were coming and the feeling is that Mitch Marner will test free agency and leave Toronto. This prompted many fans and pundits to consider Kane as the ideal replacement for Marner in the Maple Leafs’ roster.

Looking at his stats and the fact that he is bonafide Hall of Fame candidate, Kane makes even more sense for the Leafs because he is captain Auston Matthews’ favourite player.

Giving him the chance to play alongside Matthews on a short-term deal in Toronto, with the opportunity of reaching the postseason for a shot at a fourth championship, Kane could provide the Leafs with some insane offensive opportunities as he’d pair up on the same line as the captain.

Coming off a one-year, $4M deal with Detroit, Patrick Kane is likely looking at another short-term contract — one or two years max. If the Maple Leafs believe he can complement Matthews and help offset some of the offensive gap left by the departure of Marner, they’ll pay him accordingly. A one-year offer around $5.5M seems plausible, or perhaps a two-year deal in the $9.5M range if both sides want a bit more security. I mean at that price, Kane would be a smart investment. He is a proven winner and elite playmaker lining up with Matthews and a hungry, rapidly improving Matthew Knies. I can just see it.

Sure, the Leafs need to manage their cap carefully, with extensions looming for Knies, and possibly John Tavares, not to mention any other additions general manager Brad Treliving has in mind. But Kane is a future Hall-of-Famer, and the idea of him helping Toronto end its 50+ year Stanley Cup drought isn’t just compelling — it’s worth seriously exploring.

Let’s see what happens, if the Red Wings will prefer to offer Kane exactly what he wants or if the veteran forward gets tempted by an offer from the Maple Leafs.