Patrick Kane on Radar of Surprising Atlantic Division Team

Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings have been pushing hard to re-sign Patrick Kane before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on Monday. The latest word, however, is that a surprise team has entered the fray, and the Montreal Canadiens will make a big push to sign Kane if he makes it to July 1.

#LGRW are among teams grinding with their UFAs today - and belief is they've made progress with Patrick Kane. But the next 24 hours are going to be wild.

If Kane makes it to market, sources say #GoHabsGo are preparing a pitch for him.

Top 75 UFAs: https://t.co/sW39lCnFPs pic.twitter.com/r7rAfPCct3
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 30, 2024

Just like the rest of us, hockey insider Frank Seravalli, who dropped this rumor, admitted he was surprised to learn that the Habs will be preparing a pitch to try to land the 17-year veteran.

The Canadiens cannot be considered, in any way, shape or form, a Stanley Cup contender this coming season, and it would be hard to imagine Kane leaving Detroit to go to yet another team that doesn't have a shot at the title in 2024-25.

From the Habs' perspective, the move certainly makes sense. Montreal has been looking to add more offense this summer, and they are hoping to make the jump back into the playoffs next season.

Kane spent last offseason and the early part of the 2023-24 campaign recovering from hip resurfacing surgery before joining the Red Wings in December, and showed he's still got it, recording 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games.

The three-time Stanley Cup champ spent the first 15½ seasons of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he also won a Hart Trophy, an Art Ross and a Conn Smythe, amongst many other accolades.

At 35, he's far from done, and is set to land a nice short-term deal over the next day or two. The Red Wings, reports Seravalli, did "make some traction" this weekend in their talks with Kane, but we'll have to see what transpires by Monday's noon deadline.

The New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres are other teams expected to make a run at Kane if he makes it to Monday.