Patrick Kane Lands With the Detroit Red Wings
Patrick Kane, one of the best American-born hockey players, was on the free agent market yet again this summer. The 35-year-old has signed a one-year deal to return to the Detroit Red Wings. This is the second straight year that Kane has tested the waters of free agency after signing a one-year, $2.8 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings last November. It is safe to say that even with Kane’s age getting into the mid-30s, the late gamble by the Red Wings paid off tremendously. Kane appeared in 50 games for Detroit in 2024, and he produced 47 points, with 20 of those being goals. Kane’s 20 goals was fourth on the team.
Kane has always been known to produce on the offensive end from the second he stepped foot on NHL ice with the Blackhawks. As most fans are probably already familiar with, Kane is one of the best Blackhawks to ever play in Chicago. He has 471 career goals, and outside of the Covid season, he has scored at least 20 goals in every season he has been in the league. He also played a significant role in the Blackhawks winning three Stanley Cups in a six-year period. He was traded at the 2023 trade deadline from Chicago to the Rangers, who were in pursuit of a Stanley Cup run. Kane’s short stint with the Rangers did not go entirely according to plan, as New York fell short in the Eastern Conference playoffs. New York was interested in re-signing Kane after the season as he was set to hit unrestricted free agency, but like a lot of other teams around the league, the Rangers were hesitant to commit to Kane for a handful of years without knowing how much he had left in the tank. This uncertainty is what led to Kane not being signed until November, as previously mentioned, by Detroit, where Kane was able to prove that he still has productive offensive years left in him. His shot is still there, his awareness is still elite, and his masterful stick-handling will seemingly never fade away.
Kane bet on himself in 2024, and it worked out. It did not seem like the Red Wings were interested in an extension this summer, but it was hard for Detroit’s front office to ignore Kane’s productivity on the offensive end of the ice. This is also a good pairing for Kane, who is looking to go to a contender who is ready to win a title now. That fact also dampened the rumors that Kane and the Blackhawks were interested in a reunion. While it would have been fun to watch Kane and Connor Bedard work together on a power-play unit, it is unlikely that Kane wanted to join a team that is coming off a season as one of the worst teams in the NHL last year. This pairing is perfect for both sides. Detroit gets an elite goal scorer and playmaker to go on one of the top lines of a playoff-ready team, and Kane gets another chance at winning a Stanley Cup. With this signing, there is no doubt that the expectation in Detroit will be to win now and win often in 2025 and beyond.
