Why the Buffalo Sabres were wise not to pay a premium to sign Patrick Kane

The contract usually tells the story, and that’s the case with Patrick Kane’s latest free-agent decision.

On Thursday, Kane signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $8 million per year. The 37-year-old took his time with this contract, which might be the last one he signs in his NHL career. In recent weeks, reports suggested he was deciding between Chicago, where he built the bulk of his Hall of Fame resume, and Buffalo, where he grew up.

He chose the Blackhawks, and when the terms of the deal were disclosed, it was easy to see why. The Blackhawks offered a salary the Sabres could only have matched by getting rid of another player. And the Blackhawks offered two years, which would have been risky for a Sabres team that has young prospects who are ready to take on big roles in the lineup.

Kane would have helped the Sabres. He’s still productive, especially as a power-play setup man. And his winning experience would have been nice to have. But the Blackhawks needed him more. He’ll give a needed jolt to their fanbase, provide proven production to their top six and maybe help a rebuilding team figure out how to win.

The Sabres were wise to avoid a bidding war with a team that has the cap space and motivation to drive the price up. Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen might have been able to move some pieces around to fit Kane in this season, but doing a two-year deal at that number would have been a risk. If Kane was chasing that kind of money and term, the Sabres were an imperfect fit.

Signing Kane would have been a nice midsummer dopamine hit. But money and term mattered to Kane. He’s had his chances to play in Buffalo over the years and hasn’t jumped at it. Twice the Sabres’ perceived interest has been his best leverage to get a good deal elsewhere.

Now Kane gets a homecoming where his career started while the Sabres can move forward. They still have enough cap space and assets to make a significant trade either before the season or during it. Theoretically, they could dip back into the veteran free-agent market. But the options are slim. The 35-year-old Vladimir Tarasenko, who has won a Stanley Cup and had 47 points in Minnesota last season, would check some of the same boxes as Kane. But will he want a deal like the one Kane got?

Then there’s Patrik Laine, who’s coming off an injury-riddled season but has a history as a top-end power-play scorer. The Sabres already have a lot of shooters, though. After that, 27-year-old Eeli Tolvanen is the best of the free-agent forwards. He’s coming off a down year after he had 23 goals in 2024-25. Is he good enough to push one of the Sabres’ current forwards out of the lineup? Probably not.

It wasn’t the most inspiring free-agent class on July 1, and now it’s picked over. The Sabres’ roster could still change between now and training camp, but it’s looking more likely that this is the group. No longer having Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram isn’t ideal, but the Sabres were going to have a tough time keeping either player. They replaced Byram with Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier. That has a chance to be sufficient, and it was the right move from an asset management standpoint.

Losing Tuch hurts more, even if avoiding that $10.5 million AAV was the right move. As presently constructed, the Sabres will be leaning on the likes of Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Konsta Helenius, Jack Quinn, Noah Östlund and Jiri Kulich to replace some of Tuch’s reliable production. Helenius, Östlund and Kulich are all unproven over a full NHL season but have shown glimpses of having top-six talent.

“I want to see big improvements in their physical attributes when they come to training camp from last year,” Kekäläinen said earlier this month. “They’re at that age where they can really make a big difference in the offseason. That’s number one. I’m hoping to see that big difference on the first day of training camp when we start doing the drills and lifting in the gym and all of that. I want to be like, ‘Whoa, these guys have really taken a step.’ That will lead to them taking the next step on the ice when we start playing. You can’t hit fast forward with these guys. You can’t say they’re here now; let’s get them here. It’s happening. Sometimes it’s up and down. But that’s our job to evaluate where they’re at, what they’re ready for. But I’m really impressed with the depth of young talent that we have. That’s obviously a credit to (assistant general manager) Jerry Forton and his staff.”

You can argue whether relying on three players under 23 is the right approach, but it feels like a better option than paying Kane $8 million per year in his late-30s. The smart financial decisions aren’t always satisfying in the moment, but Buffalo still has a chance to be back in the playoffs next spring. A lot of the drivers of the Sabres’ Atlantic-winning team will be back. Some have substantial room to grow. And Kekäläinen has the assets to improve the roster over the next few months if the right deal comes along.