Many favorites have been suggested over that time. The Maple Leafs have been in the conversation all along.
Now new information has changed the Maple Leafs' pursuit of Kane.
Patrick Kane has been rehabbing all offseason from a hip surgery that he had. It was recently revealed that he has been skating in Toronto during his time off.
This has led many Maple Leafs fans and media to speculate on a potential Kane to Toronto signing.
The Maple Leafs were believed to be able to use a loophole in the rules to bring Kane in on a cheap contract.
Since Kane is turning 35 in November many believed that the Maple Leafs could sign Kane to a 35+ contract which would allow them to sign him for a league minimum cap hit and then shoot up the value in incentives.
A new report has confirmed that the situation is more complex than originally thought for the Maple Leafs.
According to a new report from Chris Johnston, Patrick Kane is not eligible for the 35+ contract this season. Johnston confirms that Kane missed the cutoff to be eligible for this type of contract by around 5 months.
This is because the player needs to be 35 by the start of the new league year which is usually in late June or early July. Kane doesn't turn 35 until November.
This means that Kane would be able to do this type of deal next year but for this season his full price would need to be paid.
This makes the Maple Leafs an unlikely contender for his services due to their already tight salary cap.
For the Maple Leafs this is disappointing but not that much of a loss due to Kane not being nearly the player he used to be.
As Read On Maple Leafs Daily -
New piece of information makes it next to impossible for the Leafs to sign Patrick Kane
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Will Patrick Kane ever play for the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
Yes | 491 | 21.9 % |
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