According to sources who spoke to ESPN on Tuesday, Patrick Kane is inking a $2.75 million, one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
Prior to being traded to the New York Rangers last spring, Kane played for the Chicago Blackhawks for the first 16 years of his NHL career. He had hip resurfacing surgery six months ago. Over the past month, the nine-time All-Star has had meetings with a few teams, including the Buffalo Sabres of his hometown, the Florida Panthers, the Dallas Stars, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins.
In the last week of his decision-making, Kane reportedly reduced his options to two Eastern Conference teams. There are no bonuses attached to his contract with the Red Wings, according to sources.
For the previous six months, Kane, 35, moved his family to Toronto while he recovered from surgery. Kane’s hip resurfacing was done by Dr. Edward Hsu, and Ian MacIntyre managed his rehabilitation. When Kane skated with former NHL player Cody Hodgson in Toronto, Hodgson fed him pucks and assisted with battle drills.
Several sources claim that when general managers and coaches questioned Kane on Zoom about why he wanted to put his body through the taxing rehabilitation process—especially for a surgery that had little evidence of success in the NHL—he would repeatedly respond, “Because I love the game.”
According to sources, Kane demonstrated humility during the process by repeatedly stating that he knew he had “to earn my spot” and that he wasn’t expecting to be on a team’s first line or first power play unit.
Throughout his NHL career, Kane has scored 1,237 points in 1,180 games, which is fourth most among active players. Among active players, he has the sixth-most goals in his career (451).
Ultimately, sources say that Kane was taken aback by Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde’s strategic vision for the team and his X’s and O’s hockey acumen. Kane will also get to see Alex DeBrincat again, one of his favorite linemates from Chicago, thanks to the move.
Kane kept in contact with other athletes who had hip resurfacing during his recuperation, such as Andy Murray, a tennis player, and Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals, who recently announced his retirement from the game.
Despite a seven-year postseason drought, the Red Wings are beginning to make progress in their rebuild. Detroit has an 11-6-3 record as of Tuesday, which puts them in third place in the Atlantic Division.