While all of Chicagoland and Blackhawks fans across the globe widely celebrated three-time Stanley Cup champion and franchise legend Patrick Kane’s return on Thursday, there were some folks on social media that were more focused on the price that general manager Kyle Davidson paid to make the reunion happen.
Kane, set to turn 38 in November, inked a two-year contract with an $8 million cap hit through the 2027-28 season. His new deal with the Blackhawks also carries a full no-movement clause throughout the term.
About to enter his 20th NHL season this fall, Kane has impressively remained a reliable offensive producer during the latter stages of his career, despite creeping closer and closer to 40 years old and undergoing serious hip resurfacing surgery in June 2023.
In 189 combined regular-season games for the Detroit Red Wings in the last three years, Kane totaled 163 points (57G, 106A) and averaged just under one point per game in each season. The U.S. all-time leading scorer most recently recorded 57 points (16G, 41A) in 67 appearances with Detroit during the 2025-26 campaign. Additionally, Kane tallied at least 15 power-play points in each of the last two seasons.
Kane has continued to rack up points at a respectable clip since departing the Blackhawks organization at the 2023 trade deadline, when he was dealt to the New York Rangers, officially signaling the end of the dynasty era. At the time of the trade, it seemed rather unlikely that Kane would ever rejoin the organization as a player for several reasons, but much has changed in recent weeks that led to the homecoming quickly becoming a reality.
Not only did the Blackhawks fail to make a top-six forward addition via free agency or the trade market this offseason, but there was also the news on Jul. 8 that star center Connor Bedard underwent left shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the beginning of the 2026-27 regular season. With the team needing more offensive firepower, while also noting that another veteran in the locker room wouldn’t hurt, making a run at bringing Kane home made plenty of sense.
For Kane’s side of things, with the Blackhawks looking to improve in the standings and progress past being a lottery team next year, returning to Chicago made sense for him, too. However, Chicago was far from the only club showing interest in Kane’s services when the free-agent market opened on Jul. 1, as his agent, Pat Brisson, told The Athletic’s Scott Powers there were initially 10 legitimate suitors.
To help ensure Kane chose Chicago, Davidson offered him a two-year contract, which showed he was serious about making a commitment to ‘Showtime’. After each of the last two years in Detroit, Kane signed a one-year deal to remain with the Red Wings. Now, he has a little more security for the first time in a while.
Blackhawks Cap Situations
Even though Kane fits the team’s needs and remains a capable offensive winger, shelling out an $8 million cap hit is admittedly a little rich for what he now provides. But in saying that, there’s absolutely no issue for the Blackhawks financially in overpaying him in the short term. In fact, Kane’s price tag will hold little to no impact on the franchise’s cap situation during his two years back in Chicago.
For the 2026-27 campaign, the Blackhawks currently have just over $2.8 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. With restricted free agents Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro still needing new contracts this summer, that figure appears to be slightly concerning, but it’s not the reality of the situation.
Essentially-retired defenseman Ryan Ellis hasn’t placed on long-term injured reserve yet, but once that occurs closer to the start of the season, another $6.25 million in cap space becomes available. Korchinski and Del Mastro will likely be the final two pieces of business for the Hawks this offseason, so there’s no concern over squeezing them in under $9 million or so.
Looking ahead to 2027-28, the final year of Kane’s deal, the Blackhawks are projected to have nearly $43 million in cap space to work with. Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Greenway, Andrew Mangiapane, and Ian Cole are all unrestricted free agents at the end of this season, and it’s unlikely any of them receive a contract extension. That means each of their cap hits will be coming off the books and can be spent elsewhere.
As far as which players the Blackhawks will be looking to re-sign next summer, Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, Artyom Levshunov, and Sam Rinzel will all be coming off their entry-level contract and require a new deal for 2027-28. It’s expected that each of those four will receive second contracts, but none presumably will break the bank for Davidson. It shouldn’t cost too much to bring them all back.
Wyatt Kaiser and Landon Slaggert will also see their current deals expire at this season’s end, but neither of those two players will drain the Blackhawks financially, either. Accounting for all six pending restricted free agents for next summer, Davidson should still have plenty of cap space to pursue any player freely.
Lastly, with the way the NHL’s salary cap has risen for this season, it wasn’t like Davidson massively overpaid for Kane’s services. According to The Athletic’s model, Kane’s market value was for $6.6 million for 2026-27. If it cost the Blackhawks only $1.4 million, which they certainly can afford, to bring ‘Showtime’ home, it’s money well spent.
Patrick Kane isn’t really an $8 million winger at this point, but the Blackhawks have the money to fit that with ease. He still has some game left and can quarterback play, but he also has a lot of flaws that will probably be more exposed in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/bPEzvLarkd
— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) July 23, 2026
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