“I’ve got to include him: This guy will go down as the greatest American-born player,” Chelios said. “Patrick Kane, unbelievable. That jersey looks kinda funny, Kaner, but it’ll grow on you. And don’t worry, it will work out in the end, same as me. But just be careful, don’t go stealing my thunder today, OK? I’ve got money on the board to shut you down.”
Former Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane spoiled fellow former Blackhawk Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement night by scoring the overtime game-winning goal on a breakaway. Kane skated to the scrum of Red Wings players celebrating his goal screaming “showtime,” the moniker that he has bestowed upon himself. Showtime has certainly lived up to this nickname in the short time he has donned the winged wheel.
Kane said that the main reason for signing with the Red Wings was the fact that Alex DeBrincat also signed a four-year, $31 million contract with the Red Wings. with the team during the offseason. DeBrincat and Kane are very close, and their chemistry was immediately evident. DeBrincat has scored 20 goals and added 33 assists in 59 games played for the Red Wings so far this season. This would be on pace for the second-most goals scored by DeBrincat during his seven-year career.
During his speech to the crowd in Chicago, Chelios said that Kane could be the best American-born player in the history of the NHL. In 17 seasons with the Blackhawks, Kane scored 396 goals. After scoring the game-winning goal, Kane was named the first star of the game. Kane tapped on his chest, seemingly holding back the emotions of the moment. “I just tried to show the fans I’ll always have my heart here.”
The heroics against the Blackhawks were not an isolated incident. Kane has points in his last nine games played for the Red Wings. In 30 games played for the Red Wings Kane has scored 12 goals and added 18 assists. While Kane was an all-star and Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks, that was years before he was traded to the New York Rangers and had a hip-resurfacing surgery at 35-years-old. Kane has certainly proved the people that said he would not be able to recover from the surgery.
The Detroit Red Wings currently sit in a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 72 points in 58 games played. The team has played well after the calendar turned to 2024. The Red Wings have a record of 15-4-2 in January and February. This record may cloud how general manager Steve Yzerman handles the upcoming NHL trade deadline. There has been speculation that Yzerman will look to add a defenseman that will help the Red Wings get more “ugly.”
I previously wrote that the team should seek to trade forward Jonatan Berggren as he has not been able to crack the Red Wings’ lineup. Berggren has scored 17 goals and added 24 assists in 39 games played for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate. The Griffins are on a roll of their own, getting at least one point in their last 16 games. Berggren leads the Griffins with 25 assists in 40 games played for the team. At 23-years-old he may need to wait a little longer to crack the Red Wings’ roster.
The NHL trade deadline is on Friday March, 8th and the Red Wings have been playing well. Patrick Kane is one player that could fetch a hefty return with the way he is playing. However, at 35-years-old coming off a hip-resurfacing surgery a short-term contract extension may be more realistic. The amount of money given to Kane is much more important for a team in the Red Wings’ position than the amount of term on the contract.
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