The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the rise.
They’ve reached the stage in their build when it’s time to bring someone on board who has been there and done that.
The Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin predicts that they’ll sign the legend Patrick Kane to fill that role.
“The Blue Jackets appear to be entering a contention window as the likes of Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko come into their own while blueliner Zach Werenski dominates in his peak years,” Larkin writes. “They have more than $40 million in cap space to splash around this summer. Surely, GM Don Waddell will spend a lot of it on defensemen, a goalie upgrade and perhaps a marquee top-six forward, but if there’s enough money left over, Kane on a one- or two-year deal would make sense. He could augment the power play and provide a Hall of Fame on-ice mentor for nifty-mitted up-and-comers such as Kent Johnson. Kane shouldn’t be Columbus’ priority target, but he’d be a handy complementary addition.”
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The 36-year old Kane has played 1,302 NHL games. In that time, he has 1,343 points (492 goals and 851 assists).
He played his first 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, along with the last half-season of that with the Rangers.
The last two campaigns have been played for the Detroit Red Wings.
In 2024-25, Kane had 21 goals and 38 assists for 59 points.
The lefty wizard with his stick still can get it done, many years after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2007.
The Buffalo-native could soon be coming to Columbus.
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