Forward Patrick Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery on Thursday, according to his agent Pat Brisson. The procedure will cause Kane to miss four-to-six months of action.
Brisson told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that Kane "wants to play for a long time" and doctors confirmed that this hip procedure should allow the star forward to be able to do so. It's unclear how Kane's surgery will impact teams being potentially interested in signing him in the offseason.
Kane will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after finishing up the 2022-23 season with the New York Rangers. It's unclear if the Rangers will want to re-sign Kane after trading three draft picks to acquire him prior to the 2023 trade deadline.
The veteran winger wasn't quite as productive as the team may have hoped when acquiring him as he registered just 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 19 regular-season games. Meanwhile, Kane did record a goal and five assists while racking up 17:22 minutes of ice time during the team's opening round playoff series against the New Jersey Devils.
Kane had spent the first 16 seasons of his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks before making the move to the Rangers in February. The 34-year old just finished up the final year of an eight-year, $84 million deal that he signed with the Blackhawks.
During his NHL career, Kane has tallied 451 goals and 786 assists while helping Chicago win three Stanley Cups in the 2010s.
