Patrick Kane's free agency briefly ran through the Toronto Maple Leafs before narrowing somewhere else entirely.
Insider David Pagnotta first linked Kane to four teams: Toronto, Colorado, Buffalo and Chicago.
That list narrowed fast. Chris Chelios later reported Kane's decision had come down to just Buffalo and Chicago.
The two reports do not necessarily conflict. Toronto and Colorado were likely part of the process early before falling away.
The Toronto interest made some sense on paper. Sportsnet had reported the Leafs wanted to take bigger swings before free agency opened.
Kane closed this past season with 16 goals, 41 assists and 57 points over 67 games with Detroit, a 0.85 points-per-game rate.
There was even a personal thread to the fit. First-overall pick Gavin McKenna has described Kane as someone he grew up watching.
The fit came with one real roster concern
Kane could have slotted in next to Auston Matthews or worked a second unit with John Tavares, adding another power-play playmaker.
Matthews finished last season with 53 points over 60 games, while Tavares posted 71 points over a full 82-game slate.
The concern is roster balance. Kane is a left-shot right winger, and Toronto already leans heavily on skilled forwards who want the puck.
Adding another offense-first winger does little for a team that also needed help on the forecheck and in its own zone.
Even with the roster-balance questions, the door was never fully closed.
If Toronto's forward group cools off in the second half or a playoff push demands more offense down the stretch, Kane is exactly the kind of low-commitment veteran a front office circles back to.
Sometimes a fit that doesn't make sense in July starts to look a lot more sensible by March.
Source: Patrick Kane Linked to Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche
Would Patrick Kane have actually helped the Maple Leafs win now?
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