This will be a summer eight years in the making, the one when Patrick Kane hits unrestricted free agency.

Kane has been an elite scorer and playmaker throughout his career and is arguably the greatest American player in NHL history. The eight-year, $84 million contract he signed back in 2014 is done. He's 34 years old and will turn 35 in November as he keeps climbing the all-time scorers list and tries to win another Stanley Cup.

It's an awkward time for Kane to hit the open market. Before Chicago traded him to the New York Rangers, talk of whether his hip was in good shape was all the rage. As it turns out, his hip is injured, and it's been nagging him for two years. He may or may not require surgery.

Still, Kane trails only Brett Hull and Mike Modano on the all-time scoring list for American players and is 41st overall. He's a legend already and future Hall of Famer. These are all solid marketing reasons to sign him, but there are questions about his play after his down performance this season.

However, he is going to land somewhere in free agency. We're getting out ahead of things and picking six teams that would make sense for both sides. Whether it's because of a club's need for scoring, its luxury ability to add someone of his caliber or a desperation play to catch lightning in a bottle, Kane makes sense in these spots…or at least we'll make it make sense.

New York Rangers

It feels like a gimme that the Rangers will be the ones to sign Kane because he checks a lot of boxes that are particular to the franchise.

New York making a splash for a big-name player is as classic a play as anything in hockey. Competing for that entertainment dollar in Manhattan is a cutthroat business, and marquee names go a long way. Think of the players the Rangers have brought in later on in their careers: Wayne Gretzky, Pavel Bure, Jaromír Jágr, Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson…the list goes on and on. No one loves stars like New York City loves stars, and Kane is still a star.

What makes sense about this is the Rangers made the move to add him this season. It's obvious, but it means a lot, especially since Kane didn't want to go anywhere else. Familiarity goes a long way, and even though Kane played only 19 regular-season games and seven more in the playoffs, it laid the groundwork for a future relationship.

Kane showed he makes sense on the Rangers power play and can distribute the puck close to the way he always has. The mystery of how he'll play following whatever gets done with his hip makes things murky, but New York knows full well what's going on there and can plan accordingly. It already has a strong lineup, and Kane can enrich that with his offensive game. Add in that it won't cost $10 million per season to re-sign him, and it makes things even easier.