The Boston Bruins are reportedly poking around Patrick Kane as they look to bolster their depth for a Stanley Cup run this season.
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman discussed that the Bruins have “poked around” the NHL veteran.
“There’s a couple teams out there who suspect that Boston might be another team that’s poked around on [Kane],” Friedman said. “It’s all circumstantial evidence, but it makes sense because the thing about Boston is they’re a good team, they could win. I don’t know if they could do more than one year. I am not sure that makes any sense for them. But they are the kind of organization that would look at Kane and say, ‘Does this help us?’ or in a good year, ‘What could we add to make us better?’
“If you look at last year, they went for it the insider added. “They lost in the first round, they gave up a lot of capital, but it was a go-for-it year for them. And they’re good again. I just thought I would mention it because it does kind of fit with Boston’s DNA of ‘We’re good; what can we add at what cost?’ And this makes sense to me.”
While Kane is a name that hockey fans will immediately recognize, the winger has struggled in recent years. Last season, Kane played in 73 total games between the Chicago Blackhawks and then the New York Rangers after being traded. He tallied 21 goals and 36 assists.
But at 35 years old, it will be interesting to see what the winger can offer. He has yet to find a home this season, indicating that some teams might not think he is worth the risk. Still, adding a reliable goal scorer such as Kane could be just what the Bruins need to make a run for the Cup.
To play devil’s advocate, Signing Kane would go against the youth movement that is currently taking place in Boston. With the likes of Matthew Poitras, John Beecher, and other youngsters getting some significant playing time, adding Kane could limit the minutes they receive.
The Bruins also don’t have a whole ton of cap space as PuckPedia states that the B’s only have $712,500 in cap space. So, if Boston wants to bring in Kane, they will have to make some moves elsewhere, which could affect the Bruins’ future.
Where there’s smoke, there is fire, but as Friedman states, Boston is simply just poking around. While a deal could happen, the B’s could just be doing their due diligence.
