Panarin’s ‘Hate’ For Kane Kept Him From Joining Red Wings

As a recruiter, Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane is a much better hockey player.

Three years ago, when Kane was looking for an NHL team to join, he was wooed to Detroit partly by the lobbying efforts of Alex DeBrincat, his former Chicago Blackhawks teammate and linemate.

With Artemi Panarin about to be moved by the New York Rangers, Kane sought to employ the same strategy on Panarin, his former Blackhawks teammate and linemate.

This time it didn’t work out in the Red Wings’ favor.

“Obviously, Patrick Kane was texting me like every day, probably,” Panarin said.

Panarin’s explanation of why he rejected Kane’s overtures came with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.

“I just told him I hate him,” Panarin joked in reference to his good friend Kane. “That’s why I’m not coming to Detroit.”

Panarin & Patrick Kane were a cheat code.#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/H1dtkiTxh9

— Ovi (@OviClapBomb) August 1, 2025

Panarin and Kane were just as dynamic a duo in Chicago as Kane and DeBrincat. Kane was quite upset in 2017 when the Blackhawks dealt Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Red Wings Never Had A Chance To Get Panarin

Since the deal went down, some Red Wings fans have offered criticism of Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, insisting the Wings could’ve provided the New York Rangers with a much better offer than the one they accepted from the Kings.

One player consistently texted Artemi Panarin while he considered his future: former teammate Patrick Kane. @FriedgeHNIC fills us in on why and more in this edition of the 32 Thoughts blog.@ToyotaCanada https://t.co/v1yc7fzAHQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 6, 2026

In reality, the Red Wings never had a chance. Panarin never included Detroit as part of the equation when breaking down where he wanted to go.

There was only one destination he had in mind.

“This was the only place I wanted to go,” Panarin said of Los Angeles. “I just want to play for this organization.

“I was not ready to pick a team where I did not want to go. If I didn’t play for LA, I would probably go back to Russia.”