Patrick Kane’s path to Toronto has gone cold.
What had been a lively bit of summer speculation around the Maple Leafs now looks finished, with Kane’s camp reportedly trimming his options to two teams: Buffalo and Chicago. That leaves Toronto on the outside, no matter how creative the cap gymnastics might have looked on paper.
Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios said he spoke directly with Kane and laid out the situation bluntly: “it is down to Buffalo and Chicago. I know that, obviously, because I spoke to him.” If that’s the real state of play, the Leafs are no longer part of the conversation.
The Toronto link had been driven in part by talk that the club could have built a heavily bonus-laden, LTIR-aided deal around Max Domi. But even with that kind of contract structure floating around, there’s no sign the Leafs were ever truly in the thick of it. It may have been little more than speculation, with no actual offer behind it.
Still, the idea had some appeal. With all the changes Chayka has made as the new general manager, it wouldn’t have been shocking to see Kane land in Toronto for the coming season.
And the fit wasn’t just about goals. The thinking was that Kane could have served as a mentor and steady veteran presence for Gavin McKenna in his rookie year.
Instead, Toronto is left to move on. The Leafs have been knocked out of a chase they were apparently never all that close to winning anyway.
Back at the end of June, TSN’s Chris Johnston had already poured cold water on the fit, saying, “At this point, it doesn’t seem like it’s something that’s likely to materialize. I’m not sure it’s as good a fit as some people have said.”
With Kane apparently off the board, Eeli Tolvanen stands as the last primary right-winger still available on the market.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Warned Against One Free Agent Fans Know Too Well
The Maple Leafs are still being linked to the kind of low-risk, high-upside swing that always gets attention in July, and Patrik Laine fits that mold as an unrestricted free agent coming off a season wrecked by injury and surgery. The idea floating around is simple enough: if Toronto were to take a chance, it would likely have to be on a short-term, incentive-heavy arrangement or even a professional tryout, the sort of move that keeps the financial commitment light while leaving room for a payoff if the player can stay on the ice.
Laines name carries obvious appeal because of the scoring touch he has shown when healthy, but the debate around him has never been about raw talent alone. The concern is whether a team that wants more reliable depth can afford to bet on a winger whose recent track record has been shaped by missed time, uneven production and the same questions about fit that have followed him through previous fresh starts. For Toronto, the temptation is easy to understand, but so is the warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Have A Forward Waiting On One Crucial Move
The Maple Leafs appear to have a forward lined up, but the move is waiting on one simple thing: cap space. According to a HockeyBuzz report, Toronto and the player have already worked out potential terms, and the player is willing to sit tight until the club can make the numbers fit. It is the kind of quiet roster-business wrinkle that tends to linger around this time of year, especially for a team that is still sorting through its bigger-picture cap picture.
What makes the situation worth watching is how many different doors could open it. Any trade or salary-clearing move would likely tell the rest of the story, and the speculation around possible roster dominoes has only added to the intrigue. Morgan Rielly, Matthew Knies and other names have been floated in the broader conversation, while Eeli Tolvanen, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko have also come up as possible fits, but for now Toronto is still in the waiting phase. [Read more 🡒]