New piece of information makes it next to impossible for the Leafs to sign Patrick Kane
Since learning that Patrick Kane had spent the bulk of his summer in Toronto and plans to be in the GTA for at least a few more weeks, speculation was growing in many circles that Kane and the Leafs had planned to strike a deal when he returned to full health. However, that no longer appears to be the case.
There was a rumour circulating in recent weeks that the Leafs may wait until Patrick Kane turns 35 in November and then simply sign him to a league minimum 35+ contract and then fill out the contract with a series of performance bonuses, which would allow any bonus overages to come out of next year's salary cap dollars, with Kane playing on a $775K cap hit this season. According to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston, however, Kane does not qualify for such a deal.
Johnston was on TSN's Insider Trading on Tuesday evening and revealed that Kane has missed the eligibility cutoff for a 35+ contract by 5 months, and thus, will not be eligible to sign such a contract until next summer. This basically means that if the Leafs hope to have Kane at a cap hit near the league's minimum salary, Kane would have to agree to take a major pay cut from what's almost certainly waiting for him on the open market.
Kane, 34, is not the player that he once was. Also, coming off of major hip surgery, there's no telling how his latest surgical procedure has impacted his speed and mobility. There will also be durability concerns to consider as well.
This isn't to say that Kane won't sign in Toronto, but the chances of it happening now are very, very slim.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 27 | 514 ANSWERS New piece of information makes it next to impossible for the Leafs to sign Patrick Kane What do you think the chances are of Patrick Kane signing in Toronto? | ||
| 100%, it's happening | 68 | 13.2 % |
| 50%-75% | 96 | 18.7 % |
| 25%-49% | 87 | 16.9 % |
| Less than 25% | 263 | 51.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
