A bit more news/speculation has come out of the Kane camp, with many believing the 35-year old winger will be signing either with the Panthers of Red Wings.
This is really exciting news for Panthers fans — at least this Panther fan. The idea of possibly signing one of the best American-born players in league history, and future HOFer, is awesome! Yes, you can point to the fact that he’s aging and coming off hip surgery, but I don’t think you can deny he would be a boost to this Panthers’ offense that looks to be going dormant at the moment.
With three Cups on his resume, Kane brings veteran playoff experience this team can use, as well as still being equipped with a high-level of playmaking. I did not watch a lot of his time in New York, but fans seem split on it — some saying he was awful, others saying he was not.
Kane has been rehabbing and ramping up his training in Toronto since his hip surgery. All signs point to him being ready to sign somewhere, as noted in
the most recent The Hockey Writers article. It sounds like 88 has been planning to make his decision around (or shortly after) Thanksgiving. Well…that time is now, and so we wait…
As the article points out:
“
Last week, NHL Insiders Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff and ESPN’s Kevin Weekes both separately reported that the Panthers were believed to be the front-runners in the Kane sweepstakes.
Then on Sunday night, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reiterated that Florida and Detroit are teams many believe are ones to watch while calling the task of trying to decipher where Kane wants to sign “tougher than a safe room” to get information on.”
Adding:
“
For the Panthers to sign Kane, it will take a few things happening.
First and foremost, Florida will need a roster spot for him. At the moment, the Panthers have 22 of a possible 23 players on the team’s active roster. That includes 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies.
Florida is expected to take defenseman Josh Mahura off Injured Reserve in the coming days, and he would take that 23rd and final spot.
That means any potential Kane signing, before or after Mahrua comes off IR, would eventually require another roster move.
The only player on the roster who wouldn’t need to be waived in order to be loaned to the AHL is defenseman Uvis Balinskis. Waiving anyone else would put them at risk of being claimed by another team, which is exactly what happened over the past two days with Mike Reilly.
Another thing that would need to happen is Kane being cool with taking less money with Florida than probably anywhere else he’s getting offers from, at least for the remainder of this season.
If his main motivation is indeed winning, that shouldn’t be a major issue.
And if you’re wondering, Kane has earned as estimated $118 million over the course of his NHL career.
The Panthers currently have $1.65 million in cap space, per PuckPedia. That includes Mahura’s salary, which still counts against the cap despite him being on IR. Only when a player is on LTIR (long-term injured reserve) is a team granted cap relief for that player’s salary.
So to summarize, there is absolutely a path for the Panthers to sign Kane.
It’s a fairly specific one, but if Kane is truly serious about wanting to continue his career in South Florida and chase another Stanley Cup or two with the Panthers, the path is there for him to take.”
I think we kind of knew the Reilly move could have been Zito’s way of making space for a Kane signing. As the article states, Florida now has about $1.65 M in cap space to sign Kane. If he’s serious about competing/winning a Cup again, that should be plenty of money, considering his goal is helping bring another championship to a team.
Obviously biased here, but of the two teams he’s apparently down to, Florida is the one that gives him a better chance to win. But what could sway him to Detroit is his old line mate and friend, Alex DeBrincat. These two guys play great together and I could see the pull of the Cat, Yzerman magic, and building something special in the Original Six Motor City, drawing him there.
Personally, I really hope to see Kane in a Cats’ sweater by next week. I think he will add so much to this team. A bonafide winner and talent skating for South Florida would be unbelievable.
For those who think it would be a bad signing, ask yourselves this: who else would you add? More importantly, who else could the the Panthers add? They are up against the cap and not really in a position to trade anything off for someone else. We can’t get a top forward in his prime - not happening. So this Kane situation is almost perfect for the Panthers at this very moment.
C’mon Zito, get it done!
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