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Yzerman: Kane Will Play First Red Wings Game Sooner Than Later

First game for newest Detroit player could be Tuesday at Buffalo

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5 months ago

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Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings GM
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman says Patrick Kane will be making his debut soooner than later.

Patrick Kane can’t wait to wear the Detroit Red Wings jersey for real.

“I think it’s such a beautiful jersey,” Kane said.

Christmas is coming and so is Kane’s first game in that Red Wings jersey. It seems a pretty safe bet that the latter will be arriving prior to the former.

Signed to a one-year, $2.75-million contract by Detroit on Tuesday, Kane was skating with the team for first time during the morning skate prior to Wednesday’s 3-2 road loss to the New York Rangers. He won’t be playing against his original club the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at Little Caesars Arena. However, as Kane completes his recovery from hip resurfacing surgery, the first game-day test of that surgical repair is nearer than you might think.

“I would say that’s sooner than later,” Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said, projecting the timeline for Kane’s debut. “Is it seven days? Is it 4 days? I’m not really sure.

“I don’t think it’s much beyond any of that, though.”

Kane’s Red Wings Debut Could Come At Buffalo

Oddly enough, Detroit’s first two games after signing Kane are facing his two former teams, the Rangers and the Blackhawks.

“I’d like to play tonight but that wouldn’t be too smart,” Kane said. “You have New York and Chicago on the schedule. It would’ve been nice to play those games.”

Instead, he’s discussing a plan of attack with the Detroit braintrust that could see Kane playing his first Red Wings game with his familiar No. 88 on his back perhaps in his hometown. The Red Wings begin a road trip Saturday in Montreal. Then on Tuesday, Detroit is at Buffalo, where Kane was born and raised.

That’s followed by home dates facing San Jose (Dec. 7) and Ottawa (Dec. 9). If he doesn’t play in Buffalo,  it’s almost certainly going to be one of those two games.

“I think the plan was a week to 10 days, so I guess that would be maybe the Buffalo game would be the earliest, or maybe San Jose or Ottawa,” Kane said. “We’ll take it day to day.”

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