Projected contract for Patrick Kane leaked before he picks next destination

The New York Rangers jumped through hoops to acquire Patrick Kane ahead of the trade deadline, but it just feels like they won’t be able to do any more to re-sign him as a free agent this summer.

According to Frank Seravalli, Kane is projected to receive a three year contract, worth $5.75M AAV with whichever team he chooses to sign with.

The Rangers enter the summer with a projected $11.76 million to fill roughly eight spots on the roster and most of that money is likely to go to two of their restricted free agents, forward Alexis Lafrenière and defenseman K’Andre Miller.

There won’t be enough left to re-sign Kane, enough he had mentioned in his exit interview that he’d be open to return to New York, though he may need surgery this summer, which could delay his availability to begin the 2023-24 season.

It was expected that Kane would not look to get the $10.5 million average annual value from his expiring contract. But that $5.75M AAV might scare off some contenders, especially with him working his way back from injury and showing a decrease in production.

If Kane is looking for that $5.75M AAV, the Rangers will be out as it’s believed they’d only considered it if it were half of that…

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