Patrick Kane is still out there, and that alone makes him one of the most intriguing names left in free agency. The soon-to-be 38-year-old future Hall of Famer has not decided where the next chapter goes, but the Colorado Avalanche keep coming up as a team that could make sense if they want to swing for one more high-end scorer.
Colorado’s offseason has been mostly quiet. The Avalanche have made their early moves, including day 1 signings like Jaden Schwartz and Noah Juulsen, while the rest of the work has been about depth and filling out AHL Colorado Eagles contracts. They still have negative cap space, which means room can be created, but it also narrows the field of realistic targets.
That is where Kane enters the picture. If Colorado wanted to shop in the bargain aisle for a veteran maximum-type deal, he would fit the profile: a short-term commitment, lower AAV, and the kind of bonuses that can help get a deal across the line. On Leafs Morning Take, NHL Insider for The Fourth Period David Pagnotta discussed Kane’s future, and the possibility remains open that he could pick from several directions.
Kane’s own comments in April left the door open to staying in Detroit. After finishing last season with 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games, with 19 of those points coming on the power play, he said: “I think there is mutual interest for me to come back and continue my career here.
It’s been a great spot for me, my family, and my son, and I’ve definitely enjoyed my time here," Kane said in April during Detroit's season-ending media availability. "But there’s no rush.
I’ll talk things over with my agent and my family, and we’ll see how everything plays out.
Pagnotta pointed to a few possible landing spots, including a return to the Red Wings, a reunion with the Chicago Blackhawks, or a move back home to Buffalo with the Sabers.
For Colorado, the appeal is obvious. Kane may be 38 next season, but the hands and vision that made him “show time” are still there, even if some regression has shown up too. In the Avalanche system, those strengths could be amplified while some of the rough edges are covered up.
The biggest selling point is the power play. Colorado’s man advantage was not good enough last season.
It had stretches that looked like they were going somewhere, then drifted back into overpassing, missed shots wide, and failed clears that sent the puck right back the other way. Kane would give them a cleaner setup option for Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Cale Makar, with Arturri Lehkonen available to work the net front.
His fit at right wing, despite shooting left, also gives Colorado some lineup flexibility. One possibility would be pushing either Kane or Necas to the left side to create a more dangerous top line.
Another would be keeping Necas lower with Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin. A look with Gabriel Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Kane would be plenty dangerous, while the second line could feature Lehkonen, Nelson, and Necas, with Kadri dropping to the third line as a winger or center.
The catch is the money. Any deal for Kane would likely be short, probably in the two-year range, but the real question is what the AAV would look like.
Colorado is already over the cap, so getting him in would require moving salary. Nicholas Roy, Parker Kelly, or Lehkonen would likely have to go, and that is not a move the Avalanche would want to make.
There is also the roster squeeze to consider. If another winger comes in, someone has to come out, and that could put recent additions like Zachary L’Heureux or Fyodor Svechkov in the crosshairs. That would not be ideal if the goal is to give those players real runway to develop.
Still, if there is a chance to add Kane, the Avalanche probably have to at least consider it. The talent level is rare, and even if he is not the same player he was in Chicago, he would still raise the ceiling of this offense. Colorado may be close to done for the summer, but if Kane becomes available at the right price, it is the kind of move that could be too tempting to pass up.
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Now Nichushkin is gone too, shipped to the Blue Jackets earlier this offseason, and the whole sequence only sharpens the sense that Colorado may have been one choice away from a very different last few seasons. The Avalanche can still point to the talent they assembled and the title they already own, but the way those contracts and transactions unfolded has left a lingering what if around Kadri, one that will keep hanging over the roster as the next season offers another look at how this group functions without the pieces it once moved on from. [Read more 🡒]