BREAKING: Patrick Kane Signs With Red Wings

If you need evidence that the Detroit Red Wings are turning the corner to respectability, you have it today with Patrick Kane opting to sign a one-year deal with the team.

Kane chose the Red Wings over the Florida Panthers who were in the Stanley Cup Final last June. One the Red Wings’ lures is the fact that Kane has the opportunity to reunite with former Chicago Blackhawks linemate Alex DeBrincat. When the rebuilding Blackhawks traded DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators in 2022, Kane called it “crushing.”

In 2020-21, DeBrincat scored 41 goals and Kane had 44. Kane assisted on 24 of DeBrincat’s tallies. Their chemistry was undeniable.

Respected hockey insiders Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman broke the story of Kane choosing the Red Wings this morning. The Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs were also reportedly interested in Kane, an unrestricted free agent coming off hip resurfacing surgery.

Financial terms of the contract have not yet been revealed.

Kane, 35, is joining a Red Wings team that is now the fourth-highest scoring team in the NHL.

#RedWings have $5,021,241 in cap space. They're also at 22 on the roster (12 forwards) and therefore have an open spot, and only 45 contracts.

Also, Kane was 34 years old on June 30th, meaning that he isn't eligible for a 35+ contract and PB's.

If it's a 1 year deal with SB's,… https://t.co/n5y1X9LOpS

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) November 28, 2023

Kane Boasts 451 Career Goals

Kane has spent most of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, but was traded last season to the New York Rangers after the Blackhawks committed to rebuilding.  Playing with an injured hip, Kane produced a combined 21 goals with Chicago and New York last season.

In Detroit, Kane could play on the top line with DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin. Or, if coach Derek Lalonde wants to keep Lucas Raymond on the top line, he could put Kane on the second line with J.T. Compher and David Perron or even Robby Fabbri. Either way, Kane is another offensive weapon for a team averaging 3.7 goals per game. Kane has always been known as a player with a scoring touch and a highly competitive attitude.

Back in the beginning of November, Chris Chelios gave all the reasons why Patrick Kane in Detroit made sense 👀

19 days later, Patrick Kane is a Detroit Red Wing 🔮 @NHL_On_TNT pic.twitter.com/fkLTX8tLix

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 28, 2023

Kane, a Buffalo native, is the third highest scoring American in NHL history. His career numbers of 1,237 points in 1180 games place him third all-time behind Mike Modano (1,374 points in 1,499 games) and Brett Hull (1,391 points in 1,269 games). Hull has an asterisk by his name because he was born in Canada and trained in Canada. But he is a dual citizen because his mother is American and Hull committed in college to U.S. National teams.

Daniel Sprong wears Kane’s No. 88 in Detroit. Usually when a star player is traded to another team, a deal is reached with the player wearing his number for a switch. Usually, the trade is something nominal like a dinner, signed stick, etc. Sometimes, it’s a little more.