NHL Free Agency: Patrick Kane to sign with Columbus Blue Jackets?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have over $40 million in cap space to work with, and are looking to upgrade their top six, along with their goaltending depth. GM Don Waddell has been busy of late making moves, and the veteran NHL executive is going to be awfully busy on Tuesday, once free agency opens.

The Blue Jackets are going to spend serious cash this summer, as they barely missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, and have big expectations heading into 2025-26. One name to watch on the free-agent market is Patrick Kane, as the future hall of famer was recently linked to signing with the Blue Jackets by Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin:

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. 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.

Kane is going to hear from a number of teams once the market opens, including the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and even potentially the Montreal Canadiens. 

The veteran winger posted 21 goals and 59 points in 72 games, and continues to show he's not slowing down anytime soon on the scoresheet, even though he may have lost of step on the ice. Look out for the Blue Jackets over the next week, they're expected to be one of the busiest teams in the league.

Photo credit: Terrance Cann, Imagn Images