Ladies and gentlemen, “The Decision” of the hockey world has happened. Patrick Kane has chosen to take his talents to Hockeytown. Jokes aside, the Detroit Red Wings are signing Kane to a one-year, $2.75 million contract.
While it’s not that groundbreaking of a decision, the rumor mill was churning, and someone turned up the heat on the stove. Kane narrowed things down to the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers. After undergoing hip surgery, Kane was a free agent coming into the season.
Kane’s one year, $2.75 M deal in Detroit is all salary. No bonuses.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 28, 2023
For the Red Wings, it was a chance to add a nice boost to their forward core. While the rumor mill started with plenty of teams in the mix, the Red Wings continued monitoring the situation and working on a deal, and Kane finally signed.
There will likely be some pushback from folks in the social media world, but the Red Wings are certainly getting better with this move. Kane has been a perennial scorer in the past, and while the surgery may prevent him from being a high-level scorer once again, his pedigree alone is worth the contract.
Patrick Kane is set to sign a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
Kane’s debut with the Red Wings is still up in the air. However, there’s one thing for sure. The Red Wings will see some benefit from adding Kane to the mix. He’ll give Detroit a better chance to win night in and night out.
Although Kane’s track record for recovering from the hip surgery he underwent is not the best, Detroit is gambling on him. After all, he has a $2.75 million deal that will likely translate to around $2 million with the way it prorates.
In 2022-23, Kane played in 73 games between his time with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. He scored 21 goals and added 36 assists for 57 total points. While there are no promises that Kane can jump right back in and start scoring a ton, he’ll benefit the Red Wings.
The Red Wings are taking a chance on Kane with a $2.75 million contract (prorated). If things go well, it’s low risk and high reward. Steve Yzerman found a way to get a deal done, allowing the Red Wings to add in some firepower, which could be a much-needed boost as the team hopes to keep making a run with their performance.