As another frantic NHL Free Agency period has come and gone, one important unrestricted free agent remains without a new team — three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane.

The 34-year-old continues to rehab from hip surgery this summer, and according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, there's one team that has significant interest in the Western New York native's services.

“Patrick Kane continues to rehab from his hip surgery. He's been doing so in the Toronto area since July and requires at least another month. We know Buffalo has interest. He could help a lot of teams when healthy,” Dreger reported on Thursday.

Kane is a native of Buffalo, and it's long been speculated that he could join the team for the 2023-24 season and help the franchise return to the postseason for the first time since 2011. The Sabres' playoff drought is the longest active streak in the National Hockey League.

Although Kane is obviously not the player he once was — a consensus, perennial top-five player in the game in his prime — if he can come back healthy, he indeed would be a huge boost to any team with playoff aspirations in 2023-24.

The Sabres are young, healthy and poised to compete for a top-three finish in the Atlantic Division, and Kane in the top-six would be a huge boost. That's even more prevalent considering Jack Quinn's unfortunate training injury, which will keep him out of the lineup for the beginning of the campaign.

“It's just exciting to see progression and just feeling better on the ice,” Kane told ESPN at the end of August. “Kind of getting back to my old self, so it's pretty exciting.”

Although one of the best American players of all time is eager to return to game action, Kane is likely to remain firm to his six-month rehabilitation timeline.

“I think we're at the point now where, I mean, could I come back early? Yeah, probably,” he explained. “But does it make sense? You know, it might be better to take the full time and just make sure I'm at 105-110% instead of just 90-95. But it's a lot better than I was last year.”

Despite a dip in production, it will be intriguing to see if Patrick Kane can return to top form — and whether that will be in a Buffalo Sabres uniform come October.