Could the Maple Leafs have a Cap Loophole to Sign Patrick Kane?

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Ryan Hall
September 16, 2023 (4:06 PM)

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Patrick Kane's career could take another intriguing turn in the coming weeks as he continues to recover from hip resurfacing surgery. Just before the season ended due to the New York Rangers' playoff loss, Kane's game was in decline, and the world soon discovered why.

During his recovery, which has progressed ahead of schedule, Kane explained that he has been feeling great and is quite excited about what lies ahead.

He shared with The Associated Press,

"It's just exciting to see progress and to feel better on the ice, kind of getting back to my old self, so it's pretty exciting."

With the possibility of an earlier return to the NHL, Kane assessed his chances, saying,

"I think we're at the point now where, I mean, could I come back early? Yeah, probably. But does it make sense? You know, it might be better to take the full time and ensure I'm at 105-110% instead of just 90-95. But it's a lot better than I was last year."

That being said, with a potential early return, numerous teams will be vying to sign the former Blackhawks superstar. One such team that's frequently in the rumour mill is the Toronto Maple Leafs. It appears that the Leafs may have a potential loophole they could exploit to acquire the right winger, and it relates to his age.

According to the rules, a team can sign a player like Kane, who will be 35 in November this year can sign to a minimum deal of $775,000. The Leafs could employ incentives to add performance bonus money to his contract, boosting the numbers to meet his preferences. This performance bonus money would not count towards his cap hit, keeping it at $775K.

Recently, there were reports that Kane has expressed interest in playing alongside Auston Matthews, a fellow American-born player and superstar. Adding Kane to the Maple Leafs' forward group, which includes William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares, would undoubtedly make the team more formidable this season.

However, it seems unlikely to happen with Leafs in another season of cap gymnastics being over close to 3 million dollars ; nonetheless, you never know what will transpire in Leafs Nation.