When NHL players had to withdraw from the 2022 Olympic games, both the fans and players were disappointed that everyone would miss out on seeing players like Connor McDavid playing with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sidney Crosby, while Auston Matthews would have had the opportunity to play with Patrick Kane, Quinn Hughes and Johnny Gaudreau. It likely would have been the best Olympic hockey since 2010 in Vancouver.
At the time of the announcement, Patrick Kane spoke of the disappointment saying, "I just think in general, for USA Hockey, we would've put together a pretty competitive team, and that's disappointing." It would've been Matthews' first time wearing the USA jersey outside of junior tournaments as he was part of the under 23 team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and from what Kane said, he was excited to have an opportunity to play with Matthews. "It would've been huge to have that type of player on the U.S. team and maybe get a chance to play with him as well. Hopefully, we can get a chance to play together in the future," said Kane of Matthews on Team USA.
Kane called Matthews, one of the best players in the league, saying he has a lot of respect for him and how good he is at scoring goals and just his overall game in general.
Given that Kane will be 37 when the 2026 Olympics in Milan roll around, the 2022 Olympics may have been his last shot. If Kane really wants to play with Matthews though, he has the opportunity to do just that either this season via trade, or signing as a free agent in Toronto next summer.
A trade may be out of the cards for the Leafs this summer, but perhaps a deadline deal could make sense for both sides. There's also the possibility of signing Kane via free agency next summer, although it is a longshot.
