Current rumors in the NHL suggest that star forward Patrick Kane is ready to make a major comeback to the game. This means he is expected to sign a contract soon with an NHL team. According to insider Elliotte Friedman, three teams are leading the race to acquire the services of the famous number 88.
Friedman mentions that the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and Buffalo Sabres are the three teams to watch in this race.
Why might Kent Hughes be involved in this matter? Due to teams like the Panthers having little to no room under the salary cap, a transaction will need to be made to offload a contract before finalizing Kane's signing.
As seen in the past with Erik Karlsson's trade to Pittsburgh this summer, or Sean Monahan's in August 2022 to sign Nazem Kadri in Calgary, Kent Hughes is always close to the big, hot topics in the NHL.
Since the Canadiens have over $5 million available and their General Manager has stated openness to using this salary cap flexibility for a potential transaction, it's clear that they are a team to watch in this situation.
Friedman states that currently, the race involves three teams, but Darren Dreger has also mentioned that Colorado, Vegas, and Toronto are in the mix. All these teams have limited financial flexibility.
