Boston ranks 12th overall in the NHL in goals per contest (3.40), while a familiar O-zone spark in its power play now sits ninth overall with a success rate of 22.7 percent.

Not only could Kane — a player with 1,237 points on his stat sheet — inject a much-needed scoring spark in Boston’s lineup, it would only cost Boston cap room, rather than Sweeney’s tried-and-true avenue of relinquishing draft capital in order to bring in reinforcements.

His ability to elevate his game under the bright lights of the postseason (138 points in 143 playoff games) is also appealing for a Bruins team looking to put last year’s crushing first-round exit in the rearview mirror.

Still, as tempting as the sight of Kane riding shotgun on a line with the likes of Brad Marchand or Charlie Coyle might be for some fans, it’s far from feasible once reality starts to sink in.

And after diving deeper into the numbers, the Bruins might be better served looking elsewhere, rather than opting to take a flier on a player like Kane.

A cap crunch

Before we delve into Kane’s own play and how he might (or might not) fit into Boston’s lineup, let’s address the most tangible hurdle potentially keeping the Bruins out of this free-agent sweepstakes.

It comes down to the cap (or lack thereof) for Boston.

As of Monday night, the Bruins currently have just $54,681 of available cap space, per CapFriendly. 

Yes, there are ways for the Bruins to manufacture some additional fiscal flexibility by burying a contract or two down in Providence. But if Boston wants to add a player like Kane, the writing is on the wall that Sweeney likely needs to move out a contract or two to accommodate the winger.

So would Boston opt to ship out a useful asset like Matt Grzlecyk or Derek Forbort just to bring in Kane? Even with some of the warts present on a few of Boston’s defenders, those also aren’t necessarily players that Boston should part with solely for the sake of bringing in a 35-year-old winger on a shaky hip.

And with Ian Mitchell and Mason Lohrei (who still has some work to do on his D-zone play) standing as the next men up if Boston moves a starting D-man, the Bruins shouldn’t necessarily be a rush to subtract from their blue line. 

And even if Sweeney and his staff do manage to free up another $2-3 million in cap space, the Bruins still need Kane to likely opt for a below-market deal if he realistically wants to don a black-and-gold sweater.

Because Kane didn’t turn 35 before June 30, the Bruins can’t offer him an incentive-laden contract to sweeten the pot, as they did with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in 2022.

So, can the Bruins just out-bid other interested parties?

With other rumored suitors like the Red Wings ($5 million in cap space) operating with more spending power, the Bruins would have to hope that Kane is dead-set on joining a team like Boston.

Because if Kane is opting for the highest bidder (or more security), the Bruins are destined to come up short — even if Sweeney makes a move beforehand.

Defensive woes 

The appeal of Kane in Boston lies in a tangible scenario where the winger is feeding David Pastrnak crisp seam feeds on the power play, night in and night out.

But those gains on the man advantage and at 5-on-5 play will ring pretty hollow if even more pucks are sailing past Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman when Kane is out on a shift.

As accomplished as Kane’s career might be, he’s never been known as a defensive difference-maker — at least for his own team. 

And at this stage of his career, Kane might hold the distinction of being the worst defensive forward in the NHL. 

Yes, Kane spent his last few seasons on a cellar-dwelling Blackhawks team. But even a trade to a stronger Rangers roster in February couldn’t mask his defensive deficiencies.

Even though Kane posted 12 points during his 19-game run with New York in 2023, the Blueshirts only outscored opponents, 15-11, and trailed in scoring chances, 155-108, during Kane’s 269:10 of 5v5 ice time.

Of the 593 NHLers last season who logged at least 500 minutes of 5v5 ice time, Kane ranked 568th in 5v5 high-danger scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes at 15.09.

As tempting as it might be to tap into Kane’s playmaking talents in the O-zone, the Bruins aren’t necessarily a team equipped to routinely trade chances — and make things even harder on their goalie tandem in Swayman and Ullmark.

The Bruins learned the hard way during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs about the highs and lows of running with a playmaking winger with defensive flaws. Even though Tyler Bertuzzi posted 10 points (five goals, five assists) over seven games against Florida, the Panthers also outscored Boston, 7-4, during his 95 minutes of 5v5 reps.

Stuffing the stat sheet only goes so far if you’re also giving up goals down the other end of the ice.

And Kane’s track record paints the picture of a player who is a much greater liability in the D-zone when compared to Bertuzzi.

How much is left in the tank?

Perhaps the Bruins are willing to accept those D-zone miscues if they believe Kane can continue to produce at a high level offensively.

But that remains a major question mark, considering both Kane’s age (35) and the fact that he is just a few months removed from major surgery.

Brad Marchand is still operating at a pretty high level since undergoing a labral repair on both of his hips in May 2022.

But Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery earlier this summer, according to the Associated Press. Per the AP, it’s an invasive procedure that involves “dislocating the upper end of the thighbone, trimming it, capping it and removing cartilage before putting it back in place.”

The operation doesn’t necessarily have the most promising track record among NHLers, most of whom have opted for it as a last resort to alleviate ailing hip issues.

Capitals star center Nicklas Backstrom underwent the same procedure in June 2022, but has only played in 47 games since then — scoring just 22 points over that same stretch.

Earlier this month, Backstrom announced that he was stepping away from the Capitals due to health-related reasons related to his hip, with Washington GM Brian MacLellan adding that the veteran is unlikely to return in 2023. 

Former Canucks forward Ryan Kesler went through a hip resurfacing procedure in 2019 and never played another game in the NHL.

One of the few NHL success stories as it relates to that specific surgery was Florida Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski — who played a whopping 37 more pro games after going under the knife in 2013.

Kane’s days of being a scoring threat every time he hops over the boards are over. But after undergoing such a seismic surgery, the jury is out on whether or not Kane can even stay out on the ice for the final five-plus months of the 2023-24 season.

The Bruins could use some more scoring depth up front, no doubt.

But a player with Kane’s flaws and health concerns doesn’t seem like an asset worth investing in for the Bruins, especially with their current cap constraints.