SAN JOSE – Patrick Kane, nearly six months after he had hip resurfacing surgery, is reportedly close to returning to the NHL. The Hart Trophy winner and nine-time all-star, now a free agent, has been talking to various suitors of late, seeing where he would best fit as he chases a fourth Stanley Cup.
The issue for Kane is that he might not be able to sign a contract worth much more than $1 million, or barely above the league minimum of $775,000 if it's a one-year deal. That's because many of the teams thought to be Cup contenders do not have much flexibility under the $83.5 million salary cap.
Kane's cap hit on his last contract was a whopping $10.5 million. He's past his prime, so he likely won't get anything close to this year, but he still had 21 goals and 36 assists in 73 games last season, and wouldn't be out of line asking for a deal commensurate with that level of production.
The rebuilding San Jose Sharks do have some flexibility under the salary cap, with the intention of weaponizing that cap space closer to March's trade deadline to acquire more draft capital.
We wondered then: could the Sharks sign Kane to a somewhat richer contract (agreed to by Kane's camp and the contending team), and trade him to that team while retaining some of the deal's average annual value, for an asset in return?
The answer is no. Presented with that hypothetical situation in an email by this news organization, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said such a series of transactions would be considered cap circumvention and be impermissible.
Besides, the Sharks might have to trade or waive a player just to add Kane to the 23-man roster. There's not much room at the inn, which we'll touch on later.
Still, for the Sharks, there should be plenty of opportunities ahead to take advantage of their abundant cap space, estimated right now to be about $9.3 million by the March 8 trade deadline, per Cap Friendly. Teams with that kind of flexibility normally become a third party in a trade, absorbing some of a player's cap hit as he goes from a non-playoff team to a contender, in exchange for an asset, usually a draft pick.
Perhaps if a team that wants to sign Kane needs to offload a contract to make it happen, the Sharks could get involved, for a price, of course. The Sharks have 48 contracts, two fewer than the maximum.
NO STALL FOR COUTURE?: Captain Logan Couture, still out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, did not have his own locker stall inside the team's dressing room at Sharks Ice as of last Sunday. Forward Danil Gushchin had that stall before he was officially loaned back to the Barracuda last Saturday. So, there was no nameplate there as of the team's last practice last weekend.
Asked if that's an indication that Couture is still nowhere close to a return, Sharks coach David Quinn said, "It's something that could change quickly with the situation he's in. But right now, it's going to be long term until the progress is made that we're all looking for."
Couture, who missed all of training camp and has yet to play this season, has stayed involved, Quinn said, by providing notes on what he's seeing during the penalty kill and 5-on-5 play, and talking to younger players and alternate captains Mario Ferraro and Tomas Hertl.
Quinn said he could see Couture, 34, becoming a coach after his playing days are over. "Loves the game," Quinn said.
ROSTER DECISION NEARS?: Center Nico Sturm is still slated to return Friday after a two-game personal leave of absence. Barring another transaction, that'll put the Sharks' roster at the 23-player maximum.
With defenseman Matt Benning also getting "very close" to being activated off injured reserve, per Quinn, the Sharks will have to make a decision on who to take off their roster, assuming someone else doesn't go on IR in the meantime. Right now, Kevin Labanc is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, so we'll see where that goes.
RUSANOWSKY'S DAY: Sharks radio play-by-play voice Dan Rusanowsky, the recipient of the 2023 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, will be recognized in a pregame ceremony at SAP Center prior to Friday's Sharks game against the Montreal Canadiens. Rusanowsky will give a short speech, and all fans attending the game will receive a "Rusy Rally Towel" to commemorate the occasion.
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