Against the Sharks on Thursday, Patrick Kane will make his Red Wings debut.
Coach Derek Lalonde said on Wednesday that newly signed forward Patrick Kane will play his first game with the Red Wings on Thursday in Detroit against the San Jose Sharks.
Kane narrowed down his free agency options and last week agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Detroit. After undergoing hip resurfacing surgery on June 1, the 35-year-old is making his NHL comeback. He was granted a six-month recovery period, and for the past few months, he has mostly recovered in the Greater Toronto Area, where he has skated and received treatment.
Among the teams that shown interest in the winger were the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, and Buffalo Sabres.
With 57 points in 73 games split between the Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, where he played for most of his stellar career after Chicago selected him with the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draught, Kane is coming off of his least productive season in the NHL.
With a record of 14-7-3, the Red Wings are second in the Atlantic Division, one spot behind the Boston Bruins. In the Pacific Division, the Sharks (7-17-2) sit at the bottom.
What this implies for the legacy of Kane
As maybe the best player to be born in the United States, Kane’s legacy would be assured even if he never played another game. However, Kane—a legacy man and hockey history and statistics nerd—would undoubtedly love to have that word “arguably” removed from that statement. And achieving that aim would require being the first player to fully regain form following hip-resurfacing surgery.
Kane appeared to be a player who could play into his 40s before his hip began to fail; his game was based more on ability and imagination than on physicality or quickness, and he was nearly impossible to hit. Though it seems far less feasible now, Kane was a 92-point player just two years ago. He thinks he can return to being that calibre of player now that he is fit. The next benchmark is 500 goals if that is the case, and that is a very large if. That would provide a really strong argument, especially when paired with three Stanley Cups, a Hart Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Calder Trophy.
