The Patrick Kane Question.
His status, on the ice, as an all-time player is secure. But how much more can we really expect?
After months of back-and-forth speculation, the news finally broke on Tuesday morning: Patrick Kane is going to the Detroit Red Wings on a one-year deal, as reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
It quiets, at least for now, the constant noise surrounding the winger.
Most of last season was overshadowed, you might remember, by a dialogue that began in the summer and never slowed down.
On a purposely built-to-lose Chicago team, how much did he have left in the tank? It was no secret he struggled, relative individual consistency be dammed, as the Blackhawks embraced the competitive collapse and asset fire-sale that would eventually allow them to pick Connor Bedard in the NHL Draft.
It didn’t come as much of a surprise either though, when, after 16 years in Chicago, he was traded to the New York Rangers at mid-season and couldn’t really get going, at least to the level expected of a former MVP (albeit, one on the far-side of his prime). One reason? He was noticeably injured.
After New York’s first-round exit last spring, Kane went under the knife, undergoing hip surgery, in which his recovery has extended well into the ongoing season. So as the rumours swirled and despite the what-could-be appeal of continuing the reunion with one-time Chicago teammate Artemi Panarin in Ranger blue, it was clear that Kane was never going to be the best long-term fit in New York.
Instead, in Detroit, he’ll reunite with another former linemate in Alex DeBrincat (25) and a core of players that include, most prominently, captain Dylan Larkin (27), Lucas Raymond (21) and blue-liner Moritz Seider (22).
Now 35, Kane should no longer be counted on to be “the guy” like he was in Chicago nor the missing piece he was expected to be under MSG’s bright lights, despite injury and ill-fit contributing there.
The bigger question is, what should we expect? Well, the facts are this:
Kane is one of the most accomplished players in modern hockey history and (at least for now) holds the title, for many, as the greatest American to ever play the game.
He was a lynchpin, a key contributor, for three Stanley Cup championships in Chicago, including winning the 2012/2013 Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. He’s scored 451 goals, collected over 1200 points, a scoring title, regular-season MVP and was voted as one the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players All-Time during the League’s centennial in 2017. His pure offensive talent, vision and unbeatable puck skills have seen him set a blueprint that countless others, from Connor McDavid, Bedard and Mitch Marner, have taken inspiration from.
But recent seasons have more starkly exposed his shortcomings. He was never a well-rounded two-way player and even with the caveat of weak rosters surrounding him during his later years in Chicago, Kane has devolved into a vortex of red ink on the defensive end, statistically, one of the worst players in hockey in that regard. Without consistent offence, there isn’t much he offers anymore.
Perhaps that is what the Red Wings are banking on though.
As of this writing, they have surpassed pre-season expectations and are currently third in the Atlantic as the quarter-mark of the season arrives.
Led by GM Steve Yzerman, Detroit has been built with both immediate and long-term contention in mind, after years of simply lugging themselves into the playoffs because they had a consecutive seasons streak going (which lasted for 25 years) before they bottomed out competitively. More well-rounded, more complete, there should be a healthier balance being struck. Kane won’t be apart of that solution forever, maybe not even beyond this year.
At his (old in hockey terms) age, after a significant injury and following such an extended layoff, there are no guarantees that he’ll step in and be an effective contributor. But with strong, eager-to-succeed players surrounding him, there should less a focus on “doing it all” and instead, “doing what you can.”
And as he enters the closing chapters of his career? Maybe that’s all you can ask for.