Former Blackhawks three-time Stanley Cup champion and Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure on Thursday, his agent Pat Brisson told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. He is expected to be out roughly 4-6 months.
Brisson told Friedman that Kane "wants to play for a long time" and doctors are optimistic that will happen.
Kane has been dealing with a recurring hip injury for years, and he acknowledged in his exit interviews with the New York Rangers that he wasn't 100 percent during the playoffs. If healthy, Kane believes he would have made a bigger impact and helped lead them beyond the first round.
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"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."
Kane is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Now that he's had a surgical operation, teams might be more interested in taking a shot on what a healthy Kane could bring to the table.