Patrick Kane is joining the third-different Original 6 team of his future Hall-of-Fame career as he has signed with the Detroit Red Wings, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old free agent was skating on his own in Toronto as he rehabbed from hip surgery that he underwent on June 1. The free agent had interest from a number of clubs, including the Florida Panthers and his hometown Buffalo Sabres.
Kane, who spent the first 15-plus seasons of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, which included three Stanley Cup titles, was traded to the New York Rangers in February as a part of a shopping spree that also included Vladimir Tarasenko in hopes of putting the Blueshirts over the top in a quest for a first Stanley Cup title since 1994.
That didn’t happen, though, as Kane managed to record five goals and seven assists in 19 regular-season games and one goal and five assists in six postseason games with the Rangers despite the lingering pain in his hip.
During his exit interviews in May, Kane admitted that he would be open to re-joining the Rangers via free agency.
“Of course, I would love to be back,” Kane said. “If I could feel better, and with this team and with this opportunity, I’d love to have that chance. I know they have young guys to sign and probably other priorities, but I don’t have a bad thing to say about the organization and the situation. It was an amazing experience for me.”
The Rangers, however, were not in on bringing Kane back when he and his agent began the process of getting him back on an NHL roster. While there are obvious concerns about how effective Kane will be post-surgery, the Rangers also were not going to undergo the same financial gymnastics they did last season to reunite the veteran forward with his ex-Blackhawks teammate, Artemi Panarin. They currently have just $112,185 in cap space, according to CapFriendly.
