“My Heart Was Set”: Patrick Kane Returning to Detroit to Build on Comeback Season

If he didn't want to return to the Detroit Red Wings, Patrick Kane could’ve signed anywhere.

If it were dollars and cents he prioritized, someone would've paid him. If it was longer contract term he wanted, then Kane could’ve found a suitor. Montreal was interested, and if he had hit the open market July 1, there would’ve been other teams hitting his line. But Kane didn’t want to leave. Late on June 30, Kane signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Detroit laden with performance bonuses. And while his contract is rich, he made concessions in term to stay with the Red Wings.

Kane made it work, because Detroit is where Kane wants to be.

“For me, my heart was set on coming to Detroit and being back in Detroit,” Kane said Monday. “I thought it was a good fit last year. I love the team. We were really comfortable living there. I love the fans. I thought the fans really embraced me too. … And it's not only just about me, right. I feel like it was a good fit for me, but I also feel like it was a good fit for the team and I feel like I fit in well with the lineup and with the players and the guys. So I was looking forward to just building on what we went through last year.”

Kane felt love in Detroit last season, his first coming back from a hip resurfacing surgery that had derailed so many other careers. He felt the appreciate of fans, and he felt it from announcers like Ken Daniels, whose play calls Kane shouted out. So, he decided he wants to expand the highlight reel, signing a team-friendly contract. Because Kane is 35, those bonuses are structured so that they can be paid on the remainder of this season’s cap space, then whatever is left is rolled over to next season.

“I think it works both ways,” Kane said. “I can sign a one year deal, take advantage of bonuses, not only for myself, but it kind of helps the team too, right, to have the lower AAV. So that's something that we just talked about with my agent, Pat Brisson, thought that maybe that was a good road to go and kind of take advantage of being able to use those bonuses for a year.”

Some of the bonuses are pretty easy to reach — one kicks in if he plays just 10 games. But even the lofty ones like a 60-point season might not be out of the question. 

Sure, Kane is starting the season with a more natural build-up than joining mid-November, training with a full team instead of on his lonesome. Kane also gets to play a full schedule, which gives him plenty of time to cash in. 

More importantly, Kane feels healthy. After a season coming back from his hip resurfacing surgery, he feels one with his new part.

“I'm really happy with how I'm feeling with my body and just the hip becoming part of my body now, and just kind of feeling like it's all one,” Kane said. “(That’s) something I've kind of been searching for throughout the first year of the process and after surgery. … My goal is to take it to another level next year, too.”

Last season, Kane said he didn’t feel so much pain, but he also didn’t feel united with his new hip. He had limitations, and also areas where he didn’t know how far he could use it. Whereas he had 35 years of experience using the rest of his body to its peak athletic ability, Kane had just a few months' experience with his resurfaced hip. This offseason has allowed Kane to learn those limits, including where he needs to train it more.

If Kane didn’t feel united with his hip last season — a campaign when he put up 47 points in 50 games and led the Red Wings in points per 60 minutes — then imagine what he can do now that he feels fully healthy. Imagine what he can do in an 82-game season, too.

Detroit can’t afford to leave that vision in its imagination. It desperately needs Kane to replace some of the scoring it lost through free agency. The Red Wings’ single greatest contributor to last season’s near-miss playoff push was their abundant scoring, which ranked ninth in the NHL with 275 goals. After free agency, about 40 of those goals are unaccounted for through replacement or promotion. But if Kane has a big season — and particularly, a healthy one — then Detroit might find itself in a similar position on the scoresheet.

It will help Kane that he has a more natural shooting counterpart in Vladimir Tarasenko, a reunion of old teammates with New York and old rivals with Chicago and St. Louis. The Red Wings’ roster construction last season didn’t give them depth among shooters to really feed two lines with shooters at the same time, but Tarasenko’s heavy shot can provide ballast. With Tarasenko on his wing, or even DeBrincat depending on how lines shake out Kane can channel his intuitive playmaking to a reliable scorer. Kane can make his teammates better, especially if he truly is as healthy as he feels.

“We’ve got hall of famers signing contracts with us, choosing to sign contracts with us,” Red Wings forward Christian Fischer said. “Guys of that caliber, you talk about a guy like Patrick, he could go to any team. Any team would love to have him. And I think that says a lot about our organization. You look at Tarasenko, the guy has two Stanley Cups under his (belt). He's not coming just to play hockey.”

Before any probable Hall of Fame calls, Kane feels he has a lot of hockey left. At the very least, he has another season with Detroit. If his health is as good as he says — and if Detroit can make good on its elevated expectations — it could be an exciting one.

Last season wasn't just a comeback for Kane, but also one for Detroit. For the first time since 2016, Detroit came within a point of the playoffs. For a team that has been stuck in a rebuild for eight years, such proximity to the postseason was a revelation. But if Detroit truly wants to be great, if it wants to be a contender, then last season must be a stepping stone and not laurels to rest on. Just like Kane wants to build on his performance last season, the Red Wings have to build on theirs, too.

“We all want to build on last year, so that was the message I got as well. And I think there's definitely expectations going into this season, so that's always a good thing,” Kane said. “You want those expectations, whether it's the fans or the media or just players in general to expect the team and the organization to take the next step. So I’m excited about being a part of that and hopefully getting the chance to have a good regular season, play playoff hockey again.”