Patrick Kane parachuted into Detroit two months into the season and was everything the Red Wings hoped for on and off the ice.
Fans cheer for Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane after his goal against the Ottawa Senators last season.AP
Now the future Hall-of-Fame is more than a year removed from hip resurfacing surgery and will have a full and normal offseason and training camp and be part of the team from opening night.
His own expectations are raised.
“I think the main focus is just getting as ready as I possibly can for the season to take that next step to my game and get to the next level,” Kane said.
After showing he can still be productive following surgery, with 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games, many assumed Kane would sign a two- or three-year deal elsewhere, perhaps with a Stanley Cup contender.
Instead, he inked a one-year extension the day before free agency officially started. It has a $4 million average annual value with an additional $2.5 million in bonuses (mostly games played) that can and likely will be applied to the 2025-26 cap, providing the club some additional space for other contracts.
“After the year you kind of set your mind on maybe getting a longer-term deal, and then you start thinking about it and I’m 35, so I think it works both ways,” Kane said. “I can sign a one-year deal, take advantage of the bonuses not only for myself, but it kind of helps the team to have the lower AAV.”
Kane, a longtime rival with the hated Chicago Blackhawks, was quickly embraced by Detroit fans. He stepped up in big moments, scoring three overtime goals and three shootout goals.
“The last two or three days there, my heart was set on being back in Detroit,” Kane said. “I love the team. We were really comfortable living there. I love the fans. So just looking back at some of the moments and things that you kind of go through throughout the year, even like some of the calls (TV voice) Ken Daniels had. I can watch those clips for the rest of my life just because of the call that he had on some of those goals I scored. Those are moments that give you chills and when you have that feeling, you want to continue that and create more of those moments.”
Kane looks forward to building more chemistry with Alex DeBrincat, his former Blackhawks teammate who struggled toward the end of the season with four goals and 14 points in the final 23 games.
“We’ll spend some time together this summer and work out and skate together and talk about things and just always be trying to improve that chemistry,” Kane said. “He’s a kid that I really like being around off the ice, but I still think we have a lot of chemistry on the ice as well, and I still think we can be even better.”
The uncertainty about his health and future is behind him.
“Having a full training camp and coming in healthy and feeling good will be big for me and big for the team,” Kane said.
“I’m really happy with how I’m feeling and just the hip becoming part of my body now and kind of feeling like it’s all one is something I’ve kind of been searching for throughout the first year of the process and after surgery and feeling good, feeling freshened.”
He’s not approaching this season as his last.
“It’s not like I feel like I’m only going to play one more year and then be done,” Kane said. “I still feel like I have a lot of hockey left.”
