NHL Free Agency 2023: Rumors and Predictions Based on Offseason Buzz
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are two of the most popular, decorated Chicago Blackhawks in franchise history but both saw their tenures with the team end in 2022-23.
Now facing unrestricted free agency, both are at very different points in their careers. Kane is coming off a brief stint in New York and offseason surgery while Toews weighs his desire to continue a career away from the only team he has ever known.
Where might they continue their Hall of Fame careers?
Find out with these predictions for both, and more.
Patrick Kane saw his championship-winning run with the Chicago Blackhawks come to an end in 2023 when he was traded to the New York Rangers.
With New York, Kane scored five goals and tallied seven assists in 19 games.
The conclusion of his eight-year contract, however, means he is an unrestricted free agent for the first time ever and there is uncertainty about his future.
Kane had a hip resurfacing procedure on June 1, an alternative to a full replacement that is extremely uncommon in athletes. It is by no means a career-ending procedure, but it does demand healing time, creating questions about where and when the future Hall of Famer will return to the ice.
The former All-Star and Stanley Cup champion has already begun his recovery and there is a chance he is back in time to make a run with a contender late in the 2023-24 season.
Teams like the Rangers, Oilers or Hurricanes would be able to sign Kane to a salary cap-friendly deal that includes modest performance bonuses that would make it possible to sign while working around a strict cap.
He may not be the same elite player that he was when he guided Chicago to three Stanley Cup champions but he is still one of the smartest players on the ice and a guy who can benefit a team looking to achieve the same goals he already has three times over.
Kane's agent Pat Brisson told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, "The expectation is that Kane would sign for the rest of the season with a contender, rather than ink a multiyear deal when he's healthy. Then it'll be back to the unrestricted free agent pool in summer 2024: a year older, a lot healthier and with a salary cap that's going to significantly rise for the first time in years."
Do not count out a return to the Rangers, especially if they are back in a similar position to last season as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Prediction: Kane remains a free agent well into the season before signing with a contender late, just in time for playoff push
Matt Dumba is a tone-setting defender who will not wow anyone with his stats but can deliver a big hit at the right time and help stifle the opposition's offense.
He did just that with a controversial hit on the Dallas Stars' Joe Pavelski during last year's playoffs and while the Wild did not win that series, Dumba undeniably set the tone for those games and in the process, enraged fans while receiving no punishing from the league.
Dumba was a 14-point guy in 2022-23, somewhat sub-par for a guy considered a top remaining free agent, but his value to a potential suitor is in his leadership skills. He also accumulated 116 blocks and 104 hits a season ago, something that is more than appealing to a team in need of defensive help.
The Arizona Coyotes were a bottom-tier defensive team last season and with a unit that is young, inexperienced, and in need of veteran leadership, Dumba would fit perfectly.
It would not be a playoff-clinching free-agency move for the Coyotes but it would provide stability at a position of need and give the young team an element of toughness on that side of the ice.
Prediction: Dumba signs with Arizona
Jonathan Toews is, arguably, the best player left in free agency.
The question is whether he wants to play hockey in 2023-24.
Toews played his final game with the Chicago Blackhawks in April after the team announced that he would not return next season.
Chicago Blackhawks @NHLBlackhawksTonight will be Jonathan Toews' last game as a Blackhawk❤️ pic.twitter.com/di4fTbr3g6
One of the greatest players in the franchise's history and a key player in their three Stanley Cup victories between 2010 and 2015, he scored a goal in his final appearance with the team and received an ovation befitting a player of his caliber from the fans in the United Center.
It was a heroic sendoff, a fitting goodbye, and the idea that he would potentially play for another team was not one he was willing to entertain at the time.
"The thought of playing for another team right now is so far in the back of my mind right now, especially after that moment," he said after the game. "I always thought I'd retire a Blackhawk and part of me still believes in that, so we'll see."
That unreciprocated dedication to the Blackhawks, a lack of updates this offseason, concerns about his long-term health as he battles long COVID, and the fact that his representation do not currently list him as an available free agent, would seem to suggest that the Chicago captain is not returning to the ice.
That could change and any team that can convince him to put on a sweater other than that of the Blackhawks would be acquiring a beloved player and an elite faceoff man. Unfortunately, though, it seems rather unlikely.
Prediction: Toews retires
