The Detroit Red Wings have options when it comes to Patrick Kane’s future.
Despite the Detroit Red Wings’ 3-9-1 record while he is in the lineup, Patrick Kane is having a fantastic rookie season. In fairness, Detroit has had a string of misfortunes and injuries since entering the team.
Oh, and James Reimer, who had been thrust into the starting job, was unable to provide Detroit with any quality goaltending during the period they were without their top two goalies.
Having said all of that, with six goals and 13 points in 13 games since joining the team, Kane has led the Detroit Red Wings offensive. Even though he gets over 19 minutes of ice time per night, he is minus-3 for the season. Additionally, he keeps his Corsi For Percentage at 50.2 in circumstances of even strength.
With the Detroit Red Wings, Patrick Kane has established himself.
In Detroit, we are only now beginning to glimpse the whole picture. J.T. Compher, a second-line center, was injured shortly after Kane joined the Red Wings, and then there was the terrifying incident with Dylan Larkin versus Ottawa.
It was not ideal that Andrew Copp was left to center Alex DeBrincat and Kane. Apart from that, Joe Veleno—who typically skates as the fourth-line center—had to be moved up to a second-line position by head coach Derek Lalonde.
The Red Wings are starting to look healthy, and they need to start winning consistently if they want to quell some of the rumors about a trade for Kane that will undoubtedly start if Detroit keeps losing.
In order to establish his lineup of skaters between Kane and DeBrincat, Lalonde recently returned to the blender. The Detroit Red Wings are attempting to implement a more balanced offensive attack, and this move puts top center Larkin between Lucas Raymond and seasoned player David Perron.
The strength and performance of Larkin, Kane, and DeBrincat as a trio have been impressive, but it has left the rest of the Red Wings lineup somewhat vulnerable. Even now, Lalonde still relies on the three gifted forwards to fuel his offense late in games when Detroit is losing. They also play together on the team’s best power-play unit.
Before signing with the Red Wings this fall, Kane, 35, carefully considered his alternatives. His connection with sharpshooter DeBrincat and Detroit’s stellar start to the season drew him in.
Kane’s decision to stay in Detroit or pursue his fourth Stanley Cup somewhere may be influenced by his tight friendship with DeBrincat off the court.
Kane might be willing to sign a contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings and give Yzerman one off-season to make the necessary improvements if he believes the team is close to contending for a postseason run, possibly as soon as next season.
This way, Yzerman would have the Kane/DeBrincat connection together from the start of the following season.
When it comes to Patrick Kane, there are two sides to the story.
The Detroit Red Wings paid under $2 million in real money to sign Patrick Kane to a prorated one-year contract, thanks to Steve Yzerman’s signing of him.
There had been some worries regarding Kane’s performance following his hip resurfacing surgery and whether his body would be able to withstand the demanding NHL schedule. For the eventual Hall of Famer, so far, so good.
On the other hand, if the Detroit Red Wings weren’t in or close to postseason contention, would Yzerman consider trading Kane before the NHL trade deadline?
Given his season-long performance, Kane will have a high trade value, which will only benefit the Red Wings in the long run by providing them with draft capital and prospects in exchange.
It’s not always that simple for the people who argue that you should trade a player at the deadline and try to sign him again in the off-season.
Kane might decide to sign an extension there if he likes his new place. Before the superstar hits the free market, that team will have the chance to exclusively negotiate a contract extension with him, regardless of where he ends this season.
