Kane ready for Red Wings debut against Sharks

DETROIT – Patrick Kane has played in 1,180 NHL games and won the Stanley Cup three times, but the forward says he anticipates being a bit nervous when he makes his debut with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

When asked if he thinks he will have butterflies in his stomach before the Red Wings play the San Jose Sharks at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, NBCSCA), Kane said, “of course.”

“It’s a change of scenery, it’s an energetic crowd, people are there to see you perform too, right?” Kane said.

It will be Kane’s first game since May 1, when he played for the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round.

He had right hip resurfacing surgery June 1, became an unrestricted free agent July 1 and signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Red Wings on Nov. 28.

“You want to give the fans good vibes and also show up for your teammates as well,” Kane said. “These guys have been playing great, they’ve been on a good run as of late, so I want to play well for them.”

At the morning skate Thursday, the 35-year-old was at right wing on Detroit’s second line with center Joe Veleno and left wing Alex DeBrincat.

Kane and DeBrincat were teammates with the Chicago Blackhawks for five seasons (2017-22). Kane also was on the top power play with captain Dylan Larkin, David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere and DeBrincat.

“I don’t want to say the biggest reason I came here but definitely a big reason,” Kane said of DeBrincat, who has 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists), tied for the Red Wings lead with Larkin (10 goals, 14 assists). “He’s a great person, and not only that, he’s a great player. He’s competitive, he wants to do well.

“I think we had a good relationship on and off the ice (in Chicago), even in between shifts and games where we could talk to each other and not be afraid to hurt each other’s feelings with what we said to each other. It’ll be fun to play with him again and if the chemistry’s not there right away, I’m sure it’s something we’ll build up over time. But it’ll be fun to play with him.”

Kane has 1,237 points (451 goals, 786 assists) in his NHL career. He played 1,161 games with the Blackhawks, and is second all-time for them in points with 1,225 (446 goals, 779 assists) and won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. The No. 1 pick by Chicago in the 2007 NHL Draft, Kane won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2008 and the Hart Trophy as the NHL most valuable player in 2016.

With him set to become an unrestricted free agent after last season, he was traded to the Rangers on Feb. 28 and had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 19 regular-season games.

Given Kane’s long layoff, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said the coaching staff will keep an eye on his minutes throughout the game.

“We had a minute mark that we’ll shoot for to put him at ease, but if he’s rolling, maybe he does get into that 16-, 17-, 18-minute range,” he said. “We’ll have a feel and the games take a life of (their own) with what special teams could look like. We’ll communicate throughout. Obviously he’s experienced, mature enough to be able to communicate that too.”

Kane comes to a Detroit team that has won three in a row, five of six, and at 14-7-3 is in third place in the Atlantic Division.

“I mean, try not to think too much about expectations or what I’ve done in the past or how long I’ve been off,” Kane said. “Just go out and play the game and try to get better every shift and every time I touch the puck. Hopefully good things will come."