Kane’s eight-year contract he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 9, 2014, expired after last season, one he finished with the New York Rangers after he was acquired in a three-team trade that also involved the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 28. He had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 19 games with New York and 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games with Chicago.
Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat played with Kane in Chicago from 2017-22.
“I think he’s been working hard,” DeBrincat said. “I think if any guy can come back from that surgery, it’s him. I think he’s kind of a hockey nerd and thinks hockey 24/7. I’m sure on his off time he’s worried about getting better and how he’s going to do that on his own. It’s good to see him close to a return, and I think he’s been missing the game quite a bit.”
Kane is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015). He was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as most valuable player of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs and won the 2015-16 Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, when he led the League with 106 points (46 goals, 60 assists) to also win the Art Ross Trophy. He was also voted winner of the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player by members of the NHL Players’ Association that season and won the Calder Trophy in 2007-08 as rookie of the year when he led first-year players with 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists).
Kane is second in Blackhawks history with 1,225 points (446 goals, 779 assists) behind Stan Mikita (1,467). His 1,237 NHL points (451 goals, 786 assists) are second among United States-born players behind Mike Modano (1,374). He was voted one the 100 Greatest NHL Players at the League’s centennial celebration in 2017.
The Red Wings (11-6-3) have won three straight and are third in the Atlantic Division. They next play at the New York Rangers on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, MAX).
“I think he’s obviously a guy that the other team’s worried about it and is focused on,” DeBrincat said. “He can draw a couple guys in and move that puck, and I think it’s something that I kind of had to learn to play with. I think he’s not a guy who’s maybe going to make the first play he sees. He’s going to hold onto it and then usually something better opens, and then he’s moving it. His hockey IQ is just off the charts. It was fun to play with him.”
NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report