Patrick Kane out 4-6 months following surgery

He'll be one of the more intriguing free agent forwards on the market when the calendar turns to July, and will certainly be looking to bounce back from an off-year offensively. But he'll have to do some healing between now and the fall. 

New York Rangers forward Patrick Kane, who was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Big Apple at this year's NHL Trade Deadline, underwent hip resurfacing surgery and is expected to be on the shelf for the next 4-6 months. The news was first reported by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, who wrote the following on Twitter: 

"Patrick Kane’s representative, Pat Brisson, says Kane had a hip resurfacing today under Dr. Edwin Su. As is normal, follow-ups are planned, but roughly 4-6 months recovery is expected. Brisson says Kane “wants to play for a long time,” and doctors are optimistic that will happen."

Kane, who has been dealing with a hip issue for several seasons now, appeared in a total of 73 games in 2022-23 between the Blackhawks and Rangers, scoring a total of 21 goals with 36 assists. He also lamented his lack of production with the Rangers as they would bow out in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the New Jersey Devils after initially enjoying a two games to none series lead. 

"I look at that series and I know it’s like, if I felt a little bit better, I can like, help us win that series, you know?" Kane said. "It’s almost like disappointing and depressing in a way, but that’s just kind of how I feel about it."