Rounding up the Wings media’s takes on Tarasenko and Kane’s availabilities

Updated 4x at 7:28 PM: Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane and Christian Fischer spoke with the Red Wings’ media corps today, and this afternoon, the Wings’ press corps is reacting to said comments.

We’re actually going to start our little survey with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, who also sat in on the conference calls. Gulitti reports that Tarasenko spoke with Kane regarding a potential move to Detroit:

Tarasenko and Kane briefly were teammates after being acquired by the New York Rangers before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, so there was some familiarity there. And Tarasenko’s wife, Yana, reached out to Kane’s girlfriend, Amanda Grahovec. Kane signed a one-year contract to remain with the Red Wings on June 30 after playing for them last season, so he and Grahovec were able to tell the Tarasenkos about living in the Detroit suburbs as well as what it’s like to play for the Red Wings.

It worked, with Tarasenko signing a two-year, $9.5 million contract ($4.75 million average annual value) with Detroit on July 3.

“I liked the way the team played last year,” Tarasenko said Monday. “We decided with the family this is the best decision for us moving forward, and we are really excited about it.”

Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks (2010, 2013, 2015), liked the idea of adding a proven veteran forward such as Tarasenko, who won the Stanley Cup last season with the Florida Panthers after winning it with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. The 32-year-old had 55 points (23 goals, 32 assists) in 76 regular-season games for the Panthers and Ottawa Senators last season including 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 19 games after he was acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the Senators on March 6.

“Obviously you get excited about that and then [Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman] called me as well, just asking about him as a player,” Kane said. “I think he’s going to be so good for the group. Obviously he’s a proven winner, but just the way he plays, how hard he plays, I think a lot of players in general, not just young guys but the whole team will see how hard he works and how much effort he gives every shift and that’s why he has a couple Stanley Cups to his name too.”

MLive’s Ansar Khan also took note of Tarasenko and Kane’s remarks…

“I’m not a person who just comes and hangs out, enjoy my time. I try to win,” Tarasenko said. “I really like winning. I will do everything I can to help the organization to take the next step, help the guys, share my experience, just do my best to make the playoffs. And once you make the playoffs, you never know what’s going to happen. I like the way the (Red Wings) played, and I believe this team can make the playoffs and do some special things.”

He’ll be reunited with Patrick Kane, his teammate with the New York Rangers for a couple of months at the end of 2022-23.

“He’s a proven winner, but I think just the way he plays, how hard he plays, I think a lot of players, not just young guys, but the whole team, will see how hard he works and how much effort he gives every shift,” Kane said. “That’s why he has a couple Stanley Cups to his name. Just adding that winning presence is going to be huge for the group.”

Tarasenko tallied 23 goals and 55 points in 76 games between Ottawa and Florida. He wasn’t as productive in the postseason (five goals, nine points in 24 games). He’s not far removed from a 34-goal, 82-point season with St. Louis in 2021-22.

…

“I still like to score goals, and I still have some, not only team, but personal goals, too,” Tarasenko said. “I know a lot of people say when you get older, it’s harder to get, but I believe it’s possible. And I think the way it was, I never wanted to not play defense. Sometimes I just don’t understand what to do. But when the years come by and the more I play, I just realized you have to do this in order for you and your team to win the championships.”

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood focused on Kane’s remarks…

“For me, my heart was set on coming to Detroit and being back in Detroit,” Kane said Monday. “I thought it was a good fit last year. I love the team. We were really comfortable living there. I love the fans. I thought the fans really embraced me too. … And it’s not only just about me, right. I feel like it was a good fit for me, but I also feel like it was a good fit for the team and I feel like I fit in well with the lineup and with the players and the guys. So I was looking forward to just building on what we went through last year.”

Kane felt love in Detroit last season, his first coming back from a hip resurfacing surgery that had derailed so many other careers. He felt the appreciate of fans, and he felt it from announcers like Ken Daniels, whose play calls Kane shouted out. So, he decided he wants to expand the highlight reel, signing a team-friendly contract. Because Kane is 35, those bonuses are structured so that they can be paid on the remainder of this season’s cap space, then whatever is left is rolled over to next season.

“I think it works both ways,” Kane said. “I can sign a one year deal, take advantage of bonuses, not only for myself, but it kind of helps the team too, right, to have the lower AAV. So that’s something that we just talked about with my agent, Pat Brisson, thought that maybe that was a good road to go and kind of take advantage of being able to use those bonuses for a year.”

…

Last season wasn’t just a comeback for Kane, but also one for Detroit. For the first time since 2016, Detroit came within a point of the playoffs. For a team that has been stuck in a rebuild for eight years, such proximity to the postseason was a revelation. But if Detroit truly wants to be great, if it wants to be a contender, then last season must be a stepping stone and not laurels to rest on. Just like Kane wants to build on his performance last season, the Red Wings have to build on theirs, too.

“We all want to build on last year, so that was the message I got as well. And I think there’s definitely expectations going into this season, so that’s always a good thing,” Kane said. “You want those expectations, whether it’s the fans or the media or just players in general to expect the team and the organization to take the next step. So I’m excited about being a part of that and hopefully getting the chance to have a good regular season, play playoff hockey again.”

TV 20/WXYZ’s Max White also took note of Kane’s remarks…

“For me personally, having a full training camp, coming in healthy and feeling good will be big for me and for the team. Just looking forward to building on what we accomplished last year,” Kane said.

Kane said that he’s feeling really good and happy with his body coming into the new season and after last season.

“Just kind of feeling like it’s all one is something I’ve kind of been searching for throughout the first year of the process and after surgery. Feeling good, feeling fresh. My goal is to take it to another level,” he said.

He said he’s ready for the Red Wings to get back to the playoffs, especially after coming so close last season.

“I think Little Caesars Arena is an amazing place to play. I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the playoffs. I’m really looking forward to that,” Kane said.

And, as you might imagine, the Red Wings posted some Tweets noting popular comments made during the conference calls:

Update: Here’s a bit more from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff, who notes that Patrick Kane helped bring Tarasenko to Detroit:

“We just kind of relayed the message that it was similar to New York in a way, kind of like the Greenwich, Connecticut area,” Kane said. “I think the suburbs in Detroit are unbelievable. I lived there when I was 14 (playing youth hockey), but when I came back, I didn’t realize how nice they were, what a great spot it is to live, raise a family. You have a lot of options, whether it’s playing hockey or the schools at your disposal.

“And then I really like how the (Little Caesars Arena) rink is set up with having the practice rink and the game rink all in one venue. If you’re a free agent, or if you’re a player and you want to come to the Red Wings, there’s a lot of positives.”

Tarasenko was sold. After word came that he was in agreement on terms of two-year pact with the Red Wings, Kane couldn’t have been happier.

“Obviously, he’s a proven winner,” Kane said. “But I think just the way he plays, how hard he plays, I think a lot of players in general, not just young guys, but the whole team, will see how hard he works and how much effort he gives every shift. And that’s why he has a couple of Stanley Cups to his name, too. So I think just adding that winning credit and presence is going to be huge for the group.”

Update #2: Here’s a bit more from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

[Christian] Fischer: Fischer re-signed with the Wings on a one-year deal worth $1.125 million last week and was unabashedly happy to do so.

“This is where I want to be,” said Fischer, although talking from the coast of Italy, he also could have meant where he was presently. “I told my agent after the season I really enjoyed my time with the guys, everyone included on and off the ice, and my heart was 100% set on Detroit. You can’t say that when you’re a free agent, but the internal discussions were to come back here and having a chance to build something here with this group.”

Seeing stars like Kane and Tarasenko decide on the Wings, Fischer said, is a sign of how the team is thought of around the league.

“We have Hall of Famers signing contracts with us and guys that caliber, he (Kane) could go anywhere and any team would love to have him, so that says a lot about our organization,” Fischer said. “A guy like Tarasenko, he has two Stanley Cups. He’s not coming to just play hockey. He sees something in the Red Wings.”

Update #3: 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield notes Kane’s remarks:

“We all want to build on last year,” Kane said Monday after returning to the Wings on a one-year, bonus-laden deal a day before he would have reached unrestricted free agency. “That was the message I got as well (from Steve Yzerman).”

Kane, 35, played a big part in the Red Wings nearly snapping their franchise-worst eight-year playoff drought last season. He finished fourth on the team in goals and sixth in points, despite playing in just 50 games after joining the team in late November following a resurfacing procedure on his hip. Kane is keen on playing an even bigger role this year, on a team trying to continue a slow and steady ascent in the East.

“There’s definitely expectations going into this season, and that’s always a good thing,” he said. “You want those expectations. Whether it’s the fans, the media or just the players in general, you want to expect the team and the organization to take the next step. Excited about being a part of that and hopefully getting a chance to have a good regular season and play playoff hockey again. I think the LCA is just an amazing place to play. I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the playoffs.”

Kane had several suitors as a free agent last fall. He ultimately chose the Red Wings because of his belief in Yzerman, his friendship with Alex DeBrincat and his longtime desire to play in Detroit, where he had moved at the age of 14 to play top-tier youth hockey for Honeybaked while living with Hall of Famer Pat Verbeek. He chose them again because the experience was everything he thought it would be. Maybe even more after spending the first 16 seasons of his career with the Blackhawks.

“For me, my heart was set on coming to Detroit and being back in Detroit,” said Kane. “I thought it was a good fit last year, loved the team, we were really comfortable living there, loved the fans. I thought the fans really embraced me. You never really know what to expect, especially being in Chicago for so long and coming to Detroit, I know that’s a huge rivalry, but the embrace of the fans was incredible.”

Update at 7:25 PM: The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton adds a bit more from Vladimir Tarasenko:

In Detroit, Tarasenko sees the chance to add to his collection of hardware.  “That’s the reason I came because I like the way the team played,” he said.  “I believe this team can make the playoffs and do some special things.”  Between his 2019 champion Blues and this year’s Panthers, Tarasenko has a good idea of what a winner looks like.  “What was similar is the way the team played hard,” he explains, when asked by The Hockey News about the resemblance between his two championship teams.  

“One of the biggest similarities was the group itself, the locker room, was very tight,” he continues, citing the example of the Cats rallying from three straight losses to clinch the Cup on home ice.  “And when the group is tight and there is good relationships inside and a high level of trust, you can raise your confidence.  What happened in Game Seven in the finals [was] because the group we had, when we lost three games in a row, we were able to come close together and think, ‘it’s one game.  We can win it.  Let’s go.’  And work for each other and trust and give us the result.”

…

Tarasenko’s reputation has always been as a sniper, but he’s also spent the bulk of his career—whether at his long-time home in St. Louis or his most recent with the Panthers—on team’s that prided defense.  Those environments, as well as the success he’s achieved in them, appear to have rubbed off.

“I still like to score goals,” Tarasenko says with a wry-smile, when asked whether his two-way game has improved with age. “Don’t get me wrong. I still have some not only team but personal goals too…I never wanted to not play defense. Sometimes I just don’t understand what to do. But when the years come by, the more I played, I just realized you have to this in order for your team to win the championship, I think this is the way to go.”

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!