The Detroit Red Wings held their exit-interview session on Saturday morning, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning without them later on the day for a ninth consecutive year.
Several players offered reflections on the team’s inconsistent season, but none drew more attention than veteran forward and three-time champion Patrick Kane.
The 36-year-old winger, who signed back-to-back one-year deals with Detroit in Nov. 2023 and last summer, indicated he may be open to another such agreement.
Kane will hit unrestricted free agency again on July 1, and said discussions with the Red Wings are still to come. That said, he acknowledged that both sides seem to be inclined to find common ground and agree to a contract extension.
“I think there’s definitely some mutual interest in coming back and continuing on here,” Kane said.
Kane tallied 59 points in 72 games this season. Although his per-game production dropped from a year ago (he scored 0.94 points per game last year to this season's 0.82 average), Kane proved to be a key presence on the Red Wings' power-play unit, racking up 29 PPP.
Kane highlighted how much he and his family have enjoyed Detroit, mostly his son, Patrick Kane III, who has become a fixture in the Red Wings’ locker room, often seen playing alongside DeBrincat’s son before games.
“Imagine I took him away from Archie,” Kane said. “He’d be crushed.”
The winger acknowledged his perspective on contract structure has shifted since last summer, when he initially sought multi-year security before agreeing to an incentive-laden one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million.
“I thought it worked well for both sides,” Kane said. “I don’t know if that’s something we look at again.”
Finally, Kane also touched on a personal milestone target he'd like to reach, whether that's in Detroit or elsewhere.
“I just played my 1,300th game,” Kane said. “I think it would be cool to get to 1,500.”
Kane will enter next season with 1,302 regular-season games under his belt and having 1,343 points through those outings. On top of that, Kane has played 143 postseason games, scoring 138 total points, split into 53 goals and 85 assists.
