MAJOR: Top Insider Predicts Patrick Kane's Next Team
The Patrick Kane free agency decision has been an intriguing one to follow this summer, as he has been linked to almost every contender in the league, but now one of the top insiders has dropped a major bombshell.
Kane and Tkachuk?
In his latest piece for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun has revealed that his final prediction for the three-time Stanley Cup Champions next destination is... the Florida Panthers.
One would think Florida would be more worried about its blue line, my sense is that the Panthers feel they can hang in until Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour return. Panthers general manager Bill Zito had Kane at a world hockey championship, where Zito made him captain.
Can you imagine Kane playing on a line with Aleksander Barkov? I certainly can.
The key for Florida is not to lose too much ground early in the season. The plan for Kane and agent Pat Brisson is to look at the landscape one month into the season and start making a shortlist. The Panthers must stay in it to make that list.
It doesn't appear as though Kane's decision will be coming anytime soon, but with the performance of Barkov, Tkachuk and co. a season ago, it's safe to say that this would be an attractive destination for any free agent.
Cup Champions?
The Panthers were a healthy Matthew Tkachuk away from pushing for Stanley Cup glory in 2022-23, and while Kane isn't the player he once was, he could no doubt still contribute at a very high level.
Ultimately, the Sabres, Oilers, Avalanche and Rangers still appear to all be in the mix, so the first month of the season will be key to see who can land Kane, and if he can be better than he was a season ago, this could change the landscape of the NHL.
As Read on The Athletic - An all-Canada Stanley Cup? 80 points for Connor Bedard? Patrick Kane in Florida? LeBrun's NHL predictions
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 9 | 106 ANSWERS MAJOR: Top Insider Predicts Patrick Kane's Next Team Would the Panthers go one step further this year with Kane on their roster? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 32.1 % |
| No | 72 | 67.9 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chandler Stephenson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mikael Granlund | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Roope Hintz | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Montour | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jaden Schwartz | - | 2 | 2 | |
| John Tavares | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jamie Benn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Evgeny Dadonov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pontus Holmberg | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Fraser Minten | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Poehling | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Daniel Sprong | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||