Nothing is official. Patrick Kane is still an unrestricted free agent weighing his options, and by most accounts it's come down to two teams: the Chicago Blackhawks, where he became a legend, or the Buffalo Sabres, his actual hometown team. But that hasn't stopped the Barstool Chicago crew from acting like the ink is basically dry, because when your city's most famous hockey villain-turned-hero is even THINKING about coming home, you celebrate first and ask questions later.
Chief kicked off the celebration mode before there was even a deal to celebrate.
It’s a great day for Patrick Kane to sign in Chicago
The real accelerant here is Connor Bedard. The 20-year-old face of the franchise just signed a massive extension to stay in Chicago long-term, and when reporters asked him about Kane potentially joining, he didn't play coy. Bedard has said flat out he'd love to have Kane back, pointing to both the legacy of it and the very practical fact that this team needs offensive juice after finishing near the bottom of the league in scoring last season. Coming from the guy who's supposed to be the next generational Blackhawk, that's not nothing.
Barstool Chicago summed up the mood after Bedard made clear he's fully on board with a Kane reunion.
Kane's Chicago résumé speaks for itself: three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Hart Trophy, and a Calder before that. He's the guy who scored the OT winner nobody could actually see in 2010. If he lands back with the Blackhawks, even on a short-term, prove-it deal, it's less about what he adds on the ice at this stage of his career and more about the full-circle moment of the guy who built the modern Blackhawks brand coming back to hand the torch to the kid who's supposed to carry it next.
Chief has been careful to note he doesn't actually have inside information, just vibes and speculation like everybody else. He shot down one report floating around about a one-year deal, saying he'd be surprised if that's the term, and then followed it up with his own hypothetical: a 2-year deal worth $4.4M AAV. That's Chief doing armchair GM, not breaking news, but it captures where the temperature is right now.
Chief threw out his own guess at the contract terms Kane should be pushing for.
If I were Patrick Kane I’d sign a 2 year deal at $4.4M AAV.
For now, this is a waiting game. Reports have suggested a decision could come within the next couple of weeks, and until Kane actually puts pen to paper, everything else — Bedard's comments, Chief's contract math, the general fan-base giddiness — is just noise building toward the moment. But given how loud that noise already is, don't expect Chicago to calm down anytime soon if this actually happens.