Patrick Kane will be shelved four to six months after undergoing a hip resurfacing procedure, his agent said Thursday.
Pat Brisson told reporters that Kane had the surgery Thursday and that the 34-year-old still “wants to play for a long time.”
Kane played out the final 19 games of an eight-year, $84 million deal with the New York Rangers last season. The Rangers acquired Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 28. Kane had played all 1,161 games in a Blackhawks sweater prior to the trade.
Brisson expects Kane to make a full recovery. It was not immediately clear how the surgery impacts Kane’s impending free agency, though Brisson said they would consider options if the prolific winger does not have a contract on July 1.
The priority, Brisson said, is that the surgery was successful.
Kane tallied 12 points for the Rangers and just 57 overall, his lowest output since 2012-13. Kane is a nine-time All-Star and three-time Stanley Cup winner, all with the Blackhawks, who selected him No. 1 overall in the 2007 draft.
Kane has also won the Calder, Smythe, Hart, Pearson and Ross trophies in his career. He won the Hart as MVP of the 2015-16 season.
He has 1,237 points (451 goals, 786 assists) in his 16-year career.
Hip resurfacing is an alternative to hip replacement. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “the femoral head is not removed, but is instead trimmed and capped with a smooth metal covering” in hip resurfacing.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.