Patrick Kane Reveals Why He Picked Detroit Red Wings Amongst All Teams

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Hunter Bowman
November 29, 2023 (7:10 PM)

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The Detroit Red Wings pulled off a major move, securing former Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane with a one-year contract valued at $2.75 million. However, fans eager to witness Kane's debut in a Red Wings jersey against his former teams�the New York Rangers and Blackhawks�will need to exercise patience as they await his first appearance.

Following his initial morning skate with the new teammates, Kane revealed the plan is to delay his anticipated debut a bit longer.

"You get out there this morning and you're skating and you feel like you can get out there and play," Kane said. "But I think just in general, taking to the training staff and Steve and the coaches, we portably want to give it a little more time, get me up to speed, get in a few practices with the team. Don't rush into it."

Currently, it looks like at least a week before he hits the ice for Detroit in game action, with upcoming matches at Little Caesars Arena on December 7 and 9 against the San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators. Despite considering several teams, including the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and hometown Buffalo Sabres, Kane emphasized that the Red Wings were always on his mind.

"Throughout the whole thing, Detroit was in the back of my mind, Detroit was - it almost felt like it was in my heart. When I was thinking about something else, I would always come back to Detroit."

Kane, despite his lengthy stint with the rival Chicago Blackhawks, expressed his excitement about joining the Red Wings.

"I think it's an incredible franchise, incredible organization," he said. "I think the jersey is beautiful, too, even though you've played against them and hate them there for a while, it's such a beautiful jersey."

Having former linemate Alex DeBrincat on the team added to the appeal.

"There are a lot of reasons, Alex (DeBrincat) is definitely one of them," Kane stated. "Just the chemistry we've had on the ice the last couple of years in Chicago there (and) he's become one of my better friends around the league off the ice. I really like kind of where they're going as far as the team and they're really building something that I think is going to have a lot of success here, so I'd like to be part of that."

Source: Hockeyfeed