Patrick Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery on Thursday and is expected to take four-to-six months to recover, his agent Pat Brisson announced, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Brisson added that Kane "wants to play for a long time."
Under this recovery timeline, Kane could return to action between October and December.
Kane is a pending unrestricted free agent after wrapping up the final season of an eight-year, $84-million pact. After spending 16 seasons with the Blackhawks, Chicago sent him to the New York Rangers prior to this year's trade deadline.
The 34-year-old put up 21 goals and 36 assists in 73 regular-season games and added six points in seven playoff contests before the Rangers were bounced out of the first round by the New Jersey Devils.
Though the Rangers ended up acquiring Kane in February, they initially had concerns about a nagging hip injury, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
Washington Capitals veteran Nicklas Backstrom underwent hip resurfacing surgery last June and wasn't able to make his season debut until January.
During his end-of-season media availability, Kane said a return to the rebuilding Blackhawks hadn't crossed his mind, per SNY Rangers.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in April that he didn't offer Kane or Jonathan Toews an extension, adding that he wasn't sure if "resting on the past or on sentimentality" would benefit Chicago in the long run.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Kane has 451 goals and 786 assists in 1,180 career NHL games.
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