DETROIT -- Patrick Kane potentially could sign with the Detroit Red Wings soon, coach Derek Lalonde said Tuesday.
“I think there’s still a little bit we have to do to get to fruition here," Lalonde said, "so probably we’ll talk more on that if it does become official here.”
The forward, an unrestricted free agent, is recovering from offseason hip surgery. Asked if the issue were related to the contract, a physical or both, Lalonde said, “Probably more the physical part of it.”
The 35-year-old appears unlikely to play against his former teams this week; the Red Wings (11-6-3) visit the New York Rangers on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT) and host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
“There’s still some hurdles to go,” Lalonde said. “Even if it does happen, I think there’s going to be some time here, a level of patience certainly from us as a coaching staff going forward.”
After the Rangers acquired Kane from the Blackhawks in a three-way trade that also involved the Arizona Coyotes on Feb. 28, he had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 19 games and six points (one goal, five assists) in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He had hip resurfacing surgery June 1 and has been rehabbing in the Toronto area.
Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, who played with Kane in Chicago from 2017-22, said he has spoken with Kane quite a bit.
“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.”
Lalonde said Kane spoke to probably eight to 10 teams, and he and general manager Steve Yzerman held a Zoom call with Kane when the Red Wings were in Stockholm from Nov. 12-18 for the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden. They talked about their vision and drilled down on X's and O's.
“I enjoyed talking with Pat, because he was smart,” Lalonde said. “He wanted to know about our structure. He wanted to know about our systems.”
Detroit has missed the playoffs the past seven seasons. But the Red Wings have won three straight and are third in the Atlantic Division, and they have DeBrincat, who scored 41 goals in 2018-19 and 2021-22 while playing with Kane in Chicago.
The Red Wings acquired DeBrincat in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on July 9 and signed him to a four-year, $31.5 million contract (average annual value $7.875 million). He leads Detroit with 12 goals and is second in points with 20, one behind center Dylan Larkin.
“I think (I) just kind of gave him my experiences on how the organization is and how we’re treated here, the depth of our team,” DeBrincat said. “I feel like we have a really good group here. I think just kind of giving him my experiences here so far and kind of feeling him out, seeing what he was looking for.”
Asked about integrating Kane into the lineup, Lalonde said: “It’s probably no different than [the] conversation coaching with Alex DeBrincat. Alex will obviously get a little bit of freedom and space to play his type of game, but at the same time, we need him to come around and manage his game with the rest of our group.”
How long might it take for Kane and DeBrincat to rekindle their chemistry?
“I think it might take a little bit,” DeBrincat said. “Maybe it’s not going to click right away, but I don’t expect it to take a crazy amount of time. I think we know who we each other are as players and where we like to be.”
Kane ranks fourth among active players with 1,237 points (451 goals, 786 assists) in 1,180 games. He has won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013 and 2015), as well as the Calder Trophy, voted as rookie of the year (2007-08), Conn Smythe Trophy, voted as most valuable player during the playoffs (2013), Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion (2015-16) and Hart Trophy, voted as MVP (2015-16).
He was named one of the NHL’s 100 greatest players as part of the League’s Centennial celebration in 2017.
“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.”
