What do Patrick Kane’s Comments Mean about his Future in Detroit?
Patrick Kane said Wednesday that he hadn’t thought much about his future with the Detroit Red Wings. Does that mean he’s on his way out?
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports - What do Patrick Kane’s Comments Mean about his Future in Detroit?When asked about his season so far on Wednesday, Patrick Kane took plenty of time to praise the Detroit Red Wings. Management, coaches, teammates — everyone got their flowers. In a free agent signing that centered around fit and playoff contention more so than dollar signs, Kane has found the home he was asking for in the Motor City.
But is this season the first of a long-term stay, or a fleeting connection bound to end in the next free agent cycle?
“I haven’t really thought about it much,” Kane said. “Obviously it’s in the back of your mind and it’s … gonna come up eventually. But right now it’s just more about being in the moment, staying present, being here with this team and trying to get in the playoffs. I think just with the situation I was in, coming in and being here for maybe three quarters of the season whatever it was, just you know that it’s just this year and then see what happens after. Like I said, I have nothing but positive things to say about the organization, just kind of trying to stay in the moment for this year and hopefully all that stuff figures itself out after.”
Whether Kane’s words are hints of an impending departure or an honest reflection of his negotiating status, they tiptoe into the unknown. Keep his comments in mind, but don’t hang up on them. They exist in the context of larger business machinations that he thoroughly understands as a long-time star. He’s a valuable player who teams are willing to spend a lot of money on, and he rightfully knows his worth. Even at 35, a nearly point-a-game player can fetch millions more than his current deal with the Red Wings pays him.
To add layers to this, Kane is represented by one of the best agents in the business in CAA’s Pat Brisson. This is the same agent as Dylan Larkin and Daniel Sprong, the former of whom spent a long time negotiating his next contract despite being the captain of his hometown team. When it comes to the negotiating table, players want to keep as much value as possible. Brisson’s clients often maximize it.
Detroit might not be able to match Kane’s asking price. General manager Steve Yzerman will have to shell out millions on defenseman Moritz Seider and forward Lucas Raymond, two young stars who could earn well over $7 million each. The Red Wings have cap space to work with, but they also have other positions on the roster to flesh out. Kane is a luxury affordable to teams with entry-level deals on the books. His price tag might not be so manageable due to the cap crunch of other contracts, and his age and injury history gives the impression that he’ll only regress from his high-end form this season.
As much as Kane publicly praised Detroit, it’s also a team that hasn’t been all it was cracked up to be when he joined the roster. Back then, the Red Wings were 11-7-3 and all but playoff bound, yet here they are with four games left in the season and staring down a playoff race that they have a high chance of losing.
Kane’s desire to make the postseason played heavily into his decision of where to sign. It’s a desire that drove his asking price down to make a better team. And yet Detroit hasn’t kept up its end of the bargain. There are a variety of reasons why that happened — injuries, puck luck and inconsistency among them — but if the Red Wings can’t make the playoffs with this deep of a team, it will be a hard sell to Kane that they can make the postseason next year with different pieces, many of them likely to be young, in the lineup. If Kane wants another Stanley Cup — more importantly, to play a big role in winning one — he doesn’t have time to sit around and wait.
“These are the fun games to play in,” Kane said of the playoff hunt. “It’s been fun to be back in the mix. Obviously we had a great run there in Chicago for a long time and then it kind of went downhill for a little bit, so it was fun to be back in playoffs last year and playing with the Rangers and now I’m just feeling better about my body and myself and my game and being in these important games — it’s been so fun.”
Kane has plenty of reasons to stay. He has played well with the Red Wings, nearly a point-per-game player alongside longtime friend Alex DeBrincat. That too might play into his decision, given the close connections with DeBrincat who is tied up in Detroit for longer. Moving for the third time in as many seasons might be a major hassle. Kane also grew up playing AAA for Honeybaked in Detroit, as well as junior with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor. Kane has deeper Detroit connections than many people realize.
But his deepest connections lie in Buffalo, his hometown where he grew up watching the Sabres play from seats right on the glass. Could Kane return home as a prodigal son? Buffalo has intriguing pieces in the lineup, including a young and growing blue line and two developing starting goaltenders. The team’s overall offensive depth could use more experience, but that is something that Kane could provide. This Sabres team was right outside the playoffs last season, and maybe with some other moves, it could put itself in position to compete next season.
Kane’s past in Buffalo is complicated, though, and that has to be considered. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges after allegedly assaulting a Buffalo cab driver who shorted him 20 cents. In 2015, he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the suburb of Hamburg, N.Y., where he lived, but he was not charged. These same scandals caused controversy when Kane signed with Detroit alongside toxic culture issues in Chicago, but they would likely be magnified if he signed with his hometown team.
Ultimately, Kane’s future is one that he will decide himself. As much as he says he is enjoying his time in Detroit, and as much money as he can make in free agency, he’s got a lot to mull over. His next contract could very well be his last as a 35-year-old coming off a hip surgery. Even if he feels good and is scoring, time and tide wait for no one.
But someone is waiting: Kane, and his comments Wednesday made it obvious that he’s in no rush. Whether he hits free agency or re-signs in Detroit, this solution won’t happen until the season ends. As the Red Wings knock on the door of the playoffs, when exactly that starts might take some time, too.
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