Motown bound! Patrick Kane signs one-year deal with Detroit Red Wings
Patrick Kane has chosen his team for the 2023-24 season and the hope is he will be able to carry the Detroit Red Wings to the playoffs and make a run after signing a one-year, $2.75 million deal.
The history is there for Kane to have an impact with the Red Wings. He is the top-scoring American player (1,237 points in 1,180 games) since joining the league in 2007-08 after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2007 NHL draft. He ranks third overall during that time behind the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby. He had 92 points two seasons ago.
Kane, 35, also won three Stanley Cup titles with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the playoff MVP in 2013 and won the Hart Trophy in the 2015-16 season.
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But he is coming off hip resurfacing surgery during the offseason. Though recent videos showed Kane going through intense workouts, Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom is taking a leave of absence to determine his future after having the same surgery during the 2022 offseason.
Despite a bothersome hip last season, Kane hit the 20-goal mark for the 15th time. But his 57 points were his lowest total outside of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He finished last season with the New York Rangers after being traded before the deadline and was limited to six goals in 26 games between the regular season and the Rangers' first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils.
What the Patrick Kane signing means for the Red Wings
Kane will reunite with Alex DeBrincat, his former linemate on the Blackhawks. DeBrincat had two 40-goal seasons while in Chicago. He started with 10 goals in seven games this season in Detroit before slowing down. Kane wasn't able to recreate the magic with former Chicago teammate Artemi Panarin in New York, but his hip issues contributed to that.
The Kane move shows general manager Steve Yzerman continues to be aggressive in his bid to end Detroit's seven-season playoff drought. In recent years, he has added DeBrincat, David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere, J.T. Compher and now Kane. Kane had other choices for where he would sign -- Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde mentioned that the forward talked to eight to 10 teams -- but considering he wanted to play for a contender, that says something about faith in the Red Wings' direction.
"There’s a lot of good pieces here," he told reporters in New York Wednesday. "It’s a young team, but I think they’re on the rise and there’s a chance to build something here."
When will Patrick Kane play his first game with the Red Wings?
Though Detroit plays two of Kane's former teams (Rangers, Blackhawks) this week, next week is when he's likely to make his Red Wings debut.
Detroit plays next week at Buffalo, Kane's hometown, and at home against San Jose and Ottawa.
Lalonde said the team will be “cautious and patient” with Kane because of the surgery.
"We have some time here," Lalonde said. "We’ll get some practices with him. We’ll get some skates with him. We’ll get a gauge on how he feels and go from there.”
Kane said he has had 60 to 65 skates since the surgery, including with contact.
“I’ve taken hits on the hip, a lot of pushing, a lot of being against the boards taking a hit and seeing how that hip’s going to feel and nothing’s really shown up," he said.
Lalonde said he could play Kane with DeBrincat -- and possibly with Dylan Larkin, when the Red Wings captain returns from injury.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patrick Kane signs with Detroit Red Wings, inking one-year deal
