The Detroit Red Wings signed future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane to a one-year deal worth $2.75 million. This is the first time in his 17-season career Kane has signed a contract as an unrestricted free agent. He spent 16 seasons and change with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the New York Rangers last season. This signing comes after Kane got offseason hip surgery.
In what is the latest in a string of allegiance changes nobody would have seen coming five years ago, Patrick Kane will wear the jersey of one of Chicago’s bitter rivals. Detroit currently sees itself as a playoff contender, sporting an 11-6-3 record at the quarter-mark of the season. Kane intends to return on Dec. 5 against the Buffalo Sabres.
What Red Wings fans can expect from Patrick Kane
Ever since he stepped foot on an NHL rink, Patrick Kane has not cared to play defense. Kane is, was, and always will be an all-offense, no-defense winger. In the Steve Yzerman era, defensive inconsistency has become second nature to the Red Wings, and Kane will not fix that problem.
From a base stats perspective, Kane is always good for, at worst, an almost point-per-game season. If Kane catches fire, he can be a powerful weapon for a playoff contender. After scoring four points in the first two games of the Rangers’ series against the Devils, though, Kane only tacked on two more assists in the series and went pointless in the last three games.
Looking at his analytics, though, is where the concerns truly lie. As seen in the above post, his even-strength offense has steadily declined and hit rock bottom last season.
Kane also will have to compete for ice time with Detroit’s quality winger core. David Perron has made a career out of being a dependable top-six winger and is doing just that with Detroit. Lucas Raymond is emerging as Detroit’s first-line right winger of the future. Kane does have the benefit of years of experience with Alex Debrincat, but expect him to bounce around Detroit’s top nine.
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