Does Patrick Kane Make Sense for the Penguins?

Before I start my ramble, I need to be clear. The idea for this article evolved from a text exchange with fellow PPer Caleb DiNatale and not from any type of official source.

Although Patrick Kane is considering a number of Eastern Conference teams as a possible destination, there’s absolutely no indication our Penguins are on his list.

However, Caleb said something that stuck with me. Namely, that adding Kane feels like a Kyle Dubas move.

I concur.

Would such a move make sense for our Pens?

First, a review of Kane the player. In many ways Chicago’s version of Sidney Crosby, at least in terms of stature, the former No. 1 overall pick has amassed 451 goals and 1237 points over 16 NHL seasons. The three-time Cup winner made a clean sweep of the major awards in 2015-16, garnering the Hart and Art Ross Trophies and the Lester B. Pearson (Ted Lindsay) Award. He also took home the Conn Smythe while leading the Blackhawks to the Cup in 2013.

As recently as ’21-22, the speedy right wing tallied 92 points (26+66) for the ‘Hawks. He endured a somewhat ordinary ’22-23 campaign (21 goals, 57 points) split between the Hawks and the Rangers. It should be noted the Hawks were in the midst of a complete teardown and he had little help.

Too, Kane was playing through a nagging injury that required uber-invasive hip resurfacing surgery on June 1. To digress, Capitals great Nicklas Bäckström had the same surgery but hasn’t regained his old form and recently opted to step away from the game.

In the wake of the surgery, it’s fair to ask what the soon-to-be 35-year-old Buffalo native might have left in the tank. Not to mention the not-so-small issue of creating sufficient cap space.

Any attempt to add Kane would certainly involve parting ways with Rickard Rakell, who’s presently mired in a 16-game goalless drought stretching back to last season. It’s important to note that Rakell has a modified no-trade clause in his contract. Depending on the destination, he’d need to agree to a deal.

Personally, I like Rakell and what he brings to the table. He does everything at least reasonably well and combines creative flair with a degree of functional physicality. Indeed, he may be the closest thing to a true power forward we have. And effort’s never been an issue with the silky Swede.

However, RikRak’s generally been more effective skating alongside Crosby, a slot that for the time being has been locked up by a quick-starting Bryan Rust. Too, Rakell is somewhat of a power-play specialist who’s been bumped off the top unit by newcomer Reilly Smith.

So, for that matter, is Kane.

Say for the sake of argument Dubas is able to find a taker for Rakell. What would Kane bring to the table?

Obviously, he possesses a high degree of skill and the ability to generate offense. He and Evgeni Malkin might make for an intriguing…and potentially lethal…combo. Especially since Kane is primarily a playmaker and Geno’s become more of a triggerman these days.

But a deeper dive into Kane’s metrics made me shudder. He’s been a sub-50 percent Corsi since ’18-19, perhaps partly attributable to playing for a mediocre team. His expected goals for percentages have been worse…sub 50 percent dating back to ’14-15. Which means he really isn’t driving offense to the degree you’d think.

A gander at his JFresh chart just about made me gag. Yikes.

Even his traditional stat line isn’t blow-you-away impressive when you really study it. Despite his vaunted offensive reputation, he’s only topped 30 goals four times in his career, including two seasons of 40+ goals. He’s mostly been in the mid-to-upper 20s. Good, but certainly not great.

At a wispy (and aging) 5’10” and 177 pounds, you’re not going to get any kind of physical play or defense out of him. In short, he’s a one-trick pony (albeit a very good one) who isn’t likely to move the needle a great deal come the postseason when time and space are at a premium and games become grindier.

With all due respect to the certain future Hall-of-Famer, I pass.