Fans in Hockeytown rejoiced when the Red Wings announced that Patrick Kane inked a one-year deal with an AAV of $3 million to come back to Detroit. Kane has been great since donning the Winged Wheel, and will enter his third season in Detroit with 106 points (41 goals, 65 assists) in 122 games with the Red Wings.
A few days after officially bringing back Kane, Steve Yzerman signed veteran forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal worth $1 million AAV. He is not the 30-goal scorer he once was, but van Riemsdyk brings a strong veteran presence, as well as scoring depth, to a hungry Red Wings team this season.
Kane and van Riemsdyk are forever linked in hockey history as the top two overall picks in the 2007 NHL Draft, with Kane going first overall to the Blackhawks and van Riemsdyk going second overall to the Flyers. Now, 18 years later, they are NHL teammates.
Full-circle moment brings top 2 picks together almost two decades later
Both Kane and van Riemsdyk have had successful careers in the NHL since hearing their names called in Columbus during the 2007 Draft. The 2025-26 season will be Kane's 19th in the NHL, and van Riemsdyk's 17th. They have 2,384 games and 2,008 points between them in their respective NHL careers.
Kane spent 16 years in Chicago before getting traded to the Rangers during the 2022-23 season, and has now spent two full seasons in Detroit. Van Riemsdyk has bounced around a little more than Kane, as the Red Wings will be the fifth NHL franchise he suits up for.
He played three seasons in Philadelphia from 2009-2012, six seasons in Toronto from 2012-2018, returned to Philadelphia from 2018-2023, was in Boston for the 2023-24 season, and spent this past season in Columbus with the Blue Jackets.
Kane made an immediate impact for Chicago during the 2007-08 season, as he collected 72 points on 21 goals and 51 assists en route to winning the Calder Trophy. Van Riemsdyk didn't make his NHL debut until the 2009-10 season, when he totaled 35 points on 15 goals and 20 assists.
Entering the 2025-26 season, Kane boasts 1,343 career points, which is third all-time among U.S. born players. Van Riemsdyk has totaled 665 career points on 327 goals and 338 assists.
The two players have crossed paths on several occasions, but never at the NHL level. They were teammates on Team USA at the Olympics, World Juniors, and World Cup. However, they have not been NHL teammates until now.
How Kane and JVR can help the Red Wings in 2025-26
The van Riemsdyk signing can be considered low-risk. His addition to the Red Wings comes one day after Vladimir Tarasenko was traded to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations. Tarasenko's short tenure in Hockeytown was a forgettable one, and at least on paper, van Riemsdyk figures to be an upgrade at a cheaper price.
He will not be asked to be on the top line or carry the Detroit power play. Instead, van Riemsdyk provides a strong, veteran presence to the Detroit locker room. His leadership will be crucial for the development of younger forwards such as Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper.
Van Riemsdyk has not eclipsed the 30-goal mark since 2017-18 with the Maple Leafs, but he's shown he still has some gas left in the tank. The Middletown, NJ native had 24 goals a few seasons ago in 2021-22 with the Flyers, and still scored 16 goals and dished out 20 assists in 71 games last season with the Blue Jackets.
Most likely, JVR spends most of the season on Detroit's third line, with the potential to help out on the second line and power play as needed.
It goes without saying that Kane's role will be more impactful. The surefire Hall of Famer figures to have the puck on his stick a lot in just about every situation in the offensive zone. He is also closing in on several milestones that could cement his legacy as one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
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