The story for future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane has officially come full circle, as he returned to the Chicago Blackhawks with a two-year contract. Kane, who spent the last two and a half seasons with the rival Detroit Red Wings, decided to return and finish his resume where he played much of his Hall of Fame career.
Kane, who will be paid $8 million a season over the next two campaigns, played a key role in Chicago’s Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013, and 2015. However, circumstances are much different for the Blackhawks this time around, as they’ve not played beyond the regular season since 2020.
Kane joins a young franchise attempting to speed up their rebuilding process around 2023 first overall pick, Connor Bedard, who recently signed a five-year extension worth $15 million per season. While Kane won’t be the face of the franchise, as that title now belongs to Bedard, his return to the Windy City represents a wave of nostalgia and will help sell tickets at United Center.
But just because Kane is on the back end of his career, it doesn’t mean he plans on simply fading into the background. In fact, during his introductory press conference alongside general manager Kyle Davidson, Kane stated that he intends to contribute as much as he can.
“I want to come back and make a difference and help the team win,” Kane said. “It’s not like I’m coming back home to ride off into the sunset. I want to be a big player here and help the team win.”
Despite being 37, he demonstrated that he can still play at a high level upon his return from hip resurfacing surgery. In fact, Kane was fifth among all Red Wings scorers last season with 67 points.
Additionally, Kane indicated that he’d kept the thought of a potential reunion with the Blackhawks in the back of his head.
“I mean, it’s always kind of in the back of your mind. I don’t know if I ever really thought it was possible to be honest with you,” Kane said. “But you start getting closer to July 1st … and then it got to the point where I kind of wanted to see what was out there and what teams would be interested. And obviously when Chicago showed their interest, it really got me interested as well. So you start looking at the team and the potential and kind of where they’re at as a group. I think it really made sense and seemed like a perfect fit for me.”
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson Wanted Kane Back Despite Trading Him In 2023
Jun 28, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson makes the nineteenth pick in round one of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsCredit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Davidson, who took over the general manager’s position of the Blackhawks in late 2021, effectively turned the page on the previous chapter in Blackhawks history by not only trading Kane at the 2023 NHL Deadline to the New York Rangers, but also informing Jonathan Toews that he would not be re-signed.
However, Davidson not only was ready to welcome Kane back into the fold, but believes that because of where the franchise is compared to when he departed, the future Hall of Famer will be able to help the club moving forward.
“When Patrick departed a couple of years ago, we were just in a totally different spot as a franchise,” Davidson said. “We were much more at the outset of this whole project. And now that we’ve got some of these draft picks that have entered the NHL, established themselves in the NHL, [and] obviously continue to grow within the NHL, I felt, from an organizational standpoint and a roster standpoint, that the time was right. … Again, to be very clear, we’re bringing him in to contribute to the hockey team here. This is not … the nostalgia and the return is a very nice aspect of it, but it’s not the core reason. We’re bringing him in to make our team better, which we firmly believe that he does.”
Michael Whitaker is an NHL contributor for Sportsnaut. Previously, he wrote for Detroit Sports Nation and Sportskeeda, and also … More about Michael Whitaker