Why he decided to re-sign with the Detroit Red Wings

As time went on, Patrick Kane realized he wanted to come back and do more.

His decision on the eve of free agency to return to the Detroit Red Wings was a huge win for the organization, and it came after Kane heard what general manager Steve Yzerman had to say about the direction of the team: that it needed to be a team with the potential to build on last season, when the race for a playoff spot went all the way to Game 82.

“We all want to build on last season,” Kane said last week. “That’s the message I got as well. I think there’s definitely expectations coming into this season, and that’s always a good thing — you want to have those expectations. You want, whether it’s from the fans, the media or just the players in general, to expect the team, the organization, to take the next step. I’m excited to be a part of that and hopefully I get a chance to have a good regular season and play in the playoffs again.”

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Those expectations took a hit when plans to sign free agent Steven Stamkos fell through, leading to the signing of another free agent, Vladimir Tarasenko. Stamkos, who spent nearly a decade playing under Yzerman during his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning, would have given the Wings a top-tier center, while Tarasenko is a big-time winger and a former 40-goal scorer.

To end an eight-year playoff drought, the Wings will need their goaltending to hold up, and their players to be healthy. The silver lining is that this year, they’ll start the season with Kane in the lineup, and Kane will arrive after practicing normally over the summer. His previous summer was disrupted by invasive hip surgery on June 1, 2023, which delayed his game readiness until early December. Once he did, he showed he’s still the superstar who won three Stanley Cups in his 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, producing 47 points in 50 games with the Wings.

“I feel really good, I’m really happy with the way I feel and the hip that’s part of my body,” Kane said. “I feel fresh. My goal is to take it to another level next year. I think for me personally, having a full training camp and coming in healthy and feeling good is going to be big for me and the team. Staying healthy and being healthy to start this season is just huge.”

Kane, who turns 36 in November, electrified Little Caesars Arena with his game-changing ability. When the season ended and he did his exit interview with reporters in April, he wouldn’t commit to where he’d play next — returning to Chicago seemed an option — but as July 1 approached, re-signing seemed more and more appealing. Rather than uproot his family again, Kane decided to deepen his roots in a place he’d loved since playing for Honeybaked and the U.S. National Team Development Program as a teenager.

“For me, I had my heart set on coming to Detroit and coming back,” he said. “I thought it was a great idea last year. I love the team. We really felt comfortable there. I think the suburbs of Detroit are amazing. I lived there when I was 14, but when I came back, I didn’t realize how nice it was and what a great place it was to live and raise a family. You have a lot of options, whether it’s playing hockey or the schools that you have available to you. I really like the way the rink is set up, with the practice rink and the game rink all in one place.”

“The organization treats you like a first-class player. There’s definitely a lot of good things that happen if you’re a free agent or if you’re a player and you want to come to the Red Wings, there’s a lot of positives.”

On June 30, Kane signed a one-year contract with a base salary of $4 million and $2.5 million in incentives. It was seven months to the day after he arrived at LCA, stepping out of a cab and into a crowd of ecstatic Blackhawks fans in town for that night’s game against the Wings. Kane made his debut a week later, marking the beginning of what was something of a test for both sides (could Kane still play? could he help the Wings?) that turned into a success story.

“I loved the fans, I think they really welcomed me,” Kane said. “You never really know what to expect, especially when you’ve been in Chicago for so long and come to Detroit. I know it’s a huge rivalry. But the reception from the fans has been incredible. And it’s not just for me: I think it was a good fit for me, but for the team. I think the ACL is an incredible place to play. I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the playoffs. So I’m really looking forward to it.”

Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjamesHis books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the Detroit Red Wings” are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies are available via his email.

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