Kane's comeback bid with Red Wings reminiscent of Yzerman's

Steve Yzerman can relate to Patrick Kane.

The Detroit Red Wings general manager once was in the same spot Kane is now -- nothing left to prove late in his career, headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame, returning from radical surgery, determined to keep going.

After doing his due diligence, he thinks the forward could play at a high level again after signing a one-year, $2.75 million contract with Detroit on Tuesday.

"Ultimately, we felt that this was worth the risk, so to speak, that he has a good chance of coming back," Yzerman said Wednesday. "He's definitely going to play. How effective he's going to be remains to be seen, but based on his health and his testing, I think he has a chance to be very effective."

Yzerman had won the Stanley Cup three times (1997, 1998 and 2002) and Conn Smythe Trophy voted as the playoff MVP (1998), among many accomplishments, when he had an osteotomy Aug. 2, 2002, at age 37.

The cartilage in his right knee had worn away to the point where he was grinding bone on bone. An osteotomy is a procedure that realigns the knee to redistribute weight. It is usually done on elderly people with degenerative bone disease.

Yzerman was the first professional athlete to come back from one. After a long rehab process, he returned to the Red Wings on Feb. 24, 2003. He played 16 games to finish that season and won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

He didn't retire until after the 2005-06 season; he totaled 22 NHL seasons, all with Detroit.

"I did love playing," Yzerman said. "I wanted to keep playing. I would have kept playing forever, honestly. I'm not sure if it was the right decision, but I loved to play, and that's all I'd ever done in my whole life.

"Patrick Kane's a competitive person. He wants to play hockey. So, yeah, I totally understand without having a long discussion on ‘Why do you want to do this?' I get it totally, for sure."

Kane had won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013 and 2015) and Conn Smythe (2013), among many accomplishments, when he had hip resurfacing June 1 at age 35.

He had an impingement in his right hip, grinding bone on bone. Hip resurfacing is a procedure in which the femoral head is trimmed and capped with a smooth metal covering, while damaged bone and cartilage are removed in the socket and replaced with a metal shell. It is usually done on advanced arthritis patients.

It isn't unprecedented in pro sports, but it isn't common either, at least not yet. Tennis star Andy Murray has had good results since the surgery. Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom had it done June 17, 2022, and returned Jan. 8, but he announced Nov. 1 he was taking time away from hockey because of his "ongoing injury situation."

Asked to describe why he wanted to go through this, Kane's answer sounded familiar.

"I guess the main reason would just be the love and the passion for the game, still wanting to play," he said Wednesday. "It's just as simple as that.

"But also, I mean, I feel like I have a lot left to give. I still feel good as far as how I feel on the ice and my conditioning. I don't feel like I'm getting old or anything like that in that regard. I didn't want it to be the reason I had to stop playing."

Kane has been rehabbing in the Toronto area and was cleared for contact two months ago. He said he went from playing on one leg, hopping to cross over from left to right, to being able to shift his full weight from side to side. He expects to keep improving into the offseason.

Still, the Red Wings had to be sure. After the parties agreed to terms, Kane was brought to Detroit to meet with team doctors and performance staff.

"We all have a little bit of uncertainty, just because not a lot of guys have come back from this," Yzerman said.

They were pleased with the results of their tests, and so the parties signed the contract.

Kane had 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 73 games for the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers last season. He had 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) for the Blackhawks the season before and had great chemistry with Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat in Chicago from 2017-22.

"Even if he's what he was last year, that's not too bad," Yzerman said. "We expect him to be better than he was last year and closer to the player he was two years ago. Then he could really help us.

"And again, I say that, (but) there's definitely an unknown to this."

We'll see. Kane needs to practice before he can play. We don't know exactly when he'll return, let alone if and when he'll look like himself again. But if anybody can do it, it's a guy like Yzerman or Kane.

"I think everybody admires him," Yzerman said. "Whether you were a Blackhawks fan or not, you admired Patrick Kane as a hockey player, and I think we're all curious to see how he does."