Patrick Kane Undergoes Hip Resurfacing; Out 4-6 Months

He’s not with the Chicago Blackhawks any longer, but Patrick Kane is still newsworthy in Chicago. But for all the questions regarding his health in the past season and the effect on his game, those have now been answered and officially confirmed.

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

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 1, 2023

The news certainly impacts where he could end up, but shouldn’t do much to discourage teams from bidding. But if there was any lingering hope, despite general manager Kyle Davidson pouring cold water on it, Kane is assuredly not coming back to Chicago, at least in the short terms.

Kane’s Numbers, Skating Shows The Injury’s Effects

The only secret regarding Kane’s injury was when he would finally admit it was his hip. He didn’t address it until the offseason and admitted that he wasn’t 100%. He missed time with a “lower body” injury while with the Rangers but all season long it was rumored that the hip was affecting his game. His skating didn’t look as strong at times, either.

The latest bit of news doesn’t add or subtract to anything, but it does give a bit of a buyer’s beware to some teams. Kane is 34 and a hip resurfacing isn’t the same as a full hip replacement. It simply shows the wear and tear a 16-year career has on the body.

Once he’s healthy, Kane should be able to skate without pain and go back to the type of player he’s been known as–a top threat scorer who can be a game changer. The Rangers were banking on this and though it didn’t turn out that way, they’re likely to re-sign him and potentially now at a lower price.

Revisiting the Trade from February

Davidson was stuck in a way because of Kane’s no-movement clause which allowed the winger to dictate his destination. But knowing that there are medical records and evaluations after trades are consummated, the Rangers likely knew what they were getting with Kane and his hip.

Now, the 2023 second-round pick, which could have turned into a first had New York advanced to the Conference Final, looks better. The players in the deal weren’t likely to play in Chicago (Vili Saarijarvi and Andy Welinski) as the former is playing in Switzerland while the latter appeared in 14 games for the IceHogs.

But the real value were the draft picks in the second rounder and the 2024 fourth-round pick. Sure, a player like Kane likely garners better picks without a no-movement clause.

Yet knowing exactly what Kane was dealing with and how it was and would be hampering his performance, Davidson truly got a decent deal.