Patrick Kane still doesn't have a contract, and the Buffalo Sabres remain firmly part of his final conversation.
Heading into this Sunday, free agency has already dragged past where most insiders figured it would, and Kane hasn't budged an inch.
NHL insider David Pagnotta had floated four possible landing spots for Kane: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks.
Chris Chelios then said Kane had trimmed that list down to two, Buffalo and Chicago, after speaking with him directly.
Toronto and Colorado never fully disappeared from the conversation. They just didn't make it to Kane's final stage, based on Chelios' account.
Last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane posted 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points across 67 games, a 0.85 points per game pace.
That number still matters. It shows Kane can run a power play and set up finishers, even without the pure jump he had in his prime.
Why a rebuilding team still makes emotional sense for Kane
Chicago finished with just 72 points last season, the fewest in the entire league.
Buffalo finished with 109 points and a plus 47 goal differential, nowhere close to the rebuild Chicago is stuck inside.
So is Kane chasing one more real shot at meaningful hockey, or a soft landing back into a jersey he already made famous? That's the question buried under all the noise.
Picking Chicago over Buffalo right now would be like turning down a job across town where you're actually needed to move back into your childhood bedroom instead. Comfortable. Familiar. Going nowhere fast.
My honest read, if Kane still wants to matter on the ice, Buffalo gives him a real supporting cast. Chicago gives him a number retired someday and not much else.
Over his NHL career, Kane has piled up 1400 points in 1369 games, a total that puts him in a very short conversation among American born scorers.
None of that guarantees anything gets signed this week. Kane has stayed patient through stranger free agent markets than this one.
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Buffalo and Chicago both know the price tag now. Whoever blinks first probably gets him, and everybody else just watched a market that never really included them.
Should Patrick Kane pick the rebuilding Blackhawks over a Sabres team built to win now?
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