Detroit Red Wings and Patrick Kane Join Forces To Chase Past Success
The guessing game is over. The real work begins for Patrick Kane and the Detroit Red Wings, who are starving to be the perennial playoff team they were for decades. Will this signing take Hockeytown to the next level?
After months of speculation and a number of teams in the mix, the Detroit Red Wings landed future Hockey Hall of Fame candidate Patrick Kane.
According to reports from TSN’s Chris Johnston, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan and Sportnset's Elliotte Friedman, the deal will be for one season and worth $2.75 million. Since Kane was 34 years old on June 30, this contract will not be a 35-plus contract, per PuckPedia.
Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery on June 1, a procedure that came with a six-month recovery timeline. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has been one of the hottest names on the market since last summer, although it was always expected he would wait until a couple of months into the season to sign.
With recent training videos coming out online, the anticipation rose to its height over the last few weeks, culminating in Kane joining the Wings on Tuesday. And now, the real work begins for a 35-year-old chasing the success from earlier in his career and a historic franchise yearning for a return to perennial playoff appearances.
The 2007 first overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks spent 16 years with the squad, helping turn around a once sad sack franchise and becoming one of the most exciting players in the game over his tenure.
Kane has had numerous accolades in his career, from an Olympic silver medal, first-team NHL all-star, a Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, among others. The peak of his career came when he led the NHL in points in 2015-16 to win the Art Ross Trophy, capturing the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in the process.
As the Hawks looked to move on to the next generation of Chicago stars, Kane’s days were numbered. Chicago sent Kane to the New York Rangers in a three-team trade on Feb. 28 in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick, 2025 fourth-rounder, Vili Saarijarvi and Andy Welinski. Between Chicago and New York, Kane tallied 57 points in 73 games in the regular season, followed by six points in seven games in the playoffs for the Rangers.
Kane joining the Red Wings reunites him with Chicago running mate Alex DeBrincat. The duo was fantastic together with the Hawks from 2017-18 to 2021-22. DeBrincat scored 41 goals twice and notched 32 goals in the 56-game season, which would have put him on pace for 46 over 82 games.
DeBrincat started the season on fire with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond but has since cooled off a bit despite a five-game point streak that ended last weekend. The Red Wings may hope that reuniting the duo, even if just on the power play, could help add some extra pop to their lineup. Kane has always been one of the game's best playmakers because of his vision and touch as a passer.
The addition of Patrick Kane is also a vote of confidence for the team. Last year, when Larkin signed his long-term deal to stay in Detroit, he showed emotion at his press conference due to the team trading away his good friend and longtime linemate Tyler Bertuzzi. Despite his excellent play and commitment to his hometown team, Larkin has dealt with everything that has come his way as captain of a historic franchise going through a rebuild after a run of record-breaking success.
The message Kane’s signing sends to Larkin and company is their 11-6-3 start will be rewarded. They're third in the Atlantic Division and looking to snap their seven-year playoff drought. You can’t lose forever, and bottoming out yet again would have fans and members of the front office in Detroit gritting their teeth.
Despite not winning the draft lottery during their rebuild, the Red Wings built up a solid stable of prospects, with 2021 Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider emerging as the team’s No. 1 defenseman while Lucas Raymond is beginning to showcase just how special he can be this year. The team has defenseman Simon Edvinsson and centers Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson on the way, among other promising young players who should help bolster the roster that Yzerman has built at the NHL level through trade and free agency.
GM Steve Yzerman has been slowly building this team back to relevance. He’s added a number of free agents, such as David Perron and Daniel Sprong (who may have to change his No. 88 with Kane coming to town), offensive blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere, and do-it-all centers J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp.
Although he’s been criticized for adding players instead of giving more playing time to the prospects, Yzerman’s assembled a roster that gives no one a free shot. It’s forced young players to earn their role. Although many believe some of the young players would be better served to be playing ahead of a few of the struggling veterans at the bottom of the lineup, they’ve found a level of success this year that they’ve long been craving.
This move may not make the Red Wings true contenders to win it all, and where Kane plays in the lineup and how immediate his impact will be is still a question. Adding the former Cup champion and all-time great gives the Red Wings the confidence that they’ve long been in search of. With DeBrincat forcing his way to Detroit and Kane choosing the Motor City, Detroit has once again become a destination of high-profile names. It puts the Red Wings back in the headlines – for good reasons.
We could be seeing the beginning of Detroit once again becoming the true Hockeytown.
