Patrick Kane addresses injury ahead of free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
New York Rangers forward Patrick Kane is left to wonder what could have been after his team was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he says that a lower-body injury that has hampered him throughout the season has him questioning whether he could have done more.
Kane, who was acquired by the Rangers in a trade before the NHL trade deadline, says that he definitely was not at 100% during the postseason, but emphasized that he still felt good thanks to the team’s training staff.
“I commend the training staff…for getting me as ready as possible for the playoffs,” he said. ‘I felt pretty good, not like 100%, but I felt pretty good. We’ll figure everything out, talk to the doctors and kind of see what the plan is moving forward.”
Kane will be a free agent on July 1, but says that he has not yet made a decision on whether he could explore surgery to help remedy the leg issues that have challenged him this season.
“There’s not a decision (on surgery) yet. 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? It’s almost like disappointing and depressing in a way, but that’s just kind of how I feel about it,” he said.
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With that free agency process looming in the distance, Kane says that he wants to focus on his health first before he considers his future home.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in that regard. I think the main focus is just the health right now and to get that all figured out,” he said.
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