Kane looks ‘very comfortable’ in Red Wings debut after hip surgery

DETROIT -- Patrick Kane heard the cheers as he emerged from the Detroit Red Wings locker room for warmups, cheers that grew even louder when he was announced in the starting lineup.

He was unable to get on the score sheet, but it was an otherwise strong night for the 35-year-old forward, who got a great response from Red Wings fans in his first game in seven months.

“I’ll definitely have to build up the timing and the confidence and getting back to trying to take over, when you have the puck on your stick and take over games,” Kane said after a 6-5 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday. “A little bit tentative tonight at times, but overall, felt pretty good, felt like I was making some plays.

“[I’ll] probably look back and see what everything looked like on video, but [it] just felt good to be out there and be playing in the best League in the world again.”

Kane had hip resurfacing surgery June 1 and signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with Detroit on Nov. 28. In his first game since Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round for the New York Rangers on May 1, he had three shots on goal in 16:33 of ice time. He had two other shots blocked and missed on three more.

“He looked very comfortable,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “Obviously, a little rusty. Probably a little more polish to his game, he could’ve had three or four points. He’s probably kicking himself that he didn’t, so I think certainly a positive for him tonight.”

Indeed, Kane came close a few times. After taking a pass from defenseman Jeff Petry, Kane was stopped in front of the net at 16:03 of the first period. He laced a great pass to forward Klim Kostin, who skated to the slot and hit the post at 6:01 of the second period.

His best scoring chance came at 4:52 of the third period when he hit the post from the slot.

“I mean, I think throughout the game, as an offensive player, you always want to create chances, right? You can live and die with hitting the post or not capitalizing on your chances, but you want to create and you want to play the right way for your team,” Kane said. “Would’ve been nice to bury that, though.”

Kane is looking to recapture the impact he had prior to surgery. He has 1,237 points (451 goals, 786 assists) in his NHL career. He played 1,161 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and is second all-time for them in points with 1,225 (446 goals, 779 assists). He won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 after being the No. 1 pick by Chicago in the 2007 NHL Draft. Kane won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2008, the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2013 and the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2016.

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.

On Thursday, the right wing played with center Joe Veleno and left wing Alex DeBrincat, who was his teammate and often linemate with the Blackhawks for five seasons (2017-22). Prior to the game, Kane said DeBrincat was “definitely a big reason” why he joined the Red Wings, and you could see their attempts to rekindle their chemistry, especially early when several of Kane’s passes went to DeBrincat.

“I thought he played great,” Detroit forward David Perron said. “Obviously exciting for the whole group that he decided to join us. It means a lot. Maybe [it’s] from some of the play that we’ve done this year, also having the [DeBrincat] factor. I’m sure that weighed pretty big on that as well.

“It should be exciting to be part of this group right now. It’s a big decision for himself and we’re proud he chose us.”

Physically, Kane said he felt fine afterward.

“I think it’s more for me, just getting my timing, understanding the team structure and then doing what I do when I get the puck,” he said. “But overall, as far as the first game, I thought the body felt pretty good.”

Kane is back. The points weren’t there Thursday, but the passing, the opportunities and the hunger to be back in the NHL were.

And the fans here are happy to have him.

“Yeah, it’s special,” Kane said. “I mean, the fans were great, obviously with the starting lineup and even coming out for warmups. It’s a great organization, a lot of history. This team’s been playing great, it’s been fun to watch.

“A couple of hiccups tonight, but I still think as a group we have a lot of confidence and it’ll be fun to try and get it back on Saturday (against the Ottawa Senators).”