The Hockey News’s Carol Schram suggests that Red Wings forward Patrick Kane should return to point-per-game form via a “bounce-back season” in 2024-2025:
Patrick Kane, Detroit Red Wings
Last season, most NHL teams balked at trusting Kane to come back at his old level after undergoing a serious hip-resurfacing procedure. But ‘Showtime’ was in full effect once Kane got his feet under him in Detroit.
He put up 47 points in 50 games and came within a hair’s breadth of pushing the Red Wings back into the post-season while serving up some of the most exciting on-ice moments that Hockeytown has seen since Little Caesars Arena opened in 2017.
After a full summer of training rather than rehab, and on a 35-plus one-year ‘prove it’ deal with a base salary of $4 million plus another $2.5 million in achievable performance bonuses, look for Kane to take his game up another notch this fall.
As a longtime stalwart of USA Hockey, he’ll also be aiming to prove that he shouldn’t be overlooked when it’s time to assemble the final rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics.
Continued; the Red Wings are probably hoping for about 60 points out of Kane this season, but he may produce more. He is 35, and he’s got a resurfaced hip, but he’s still Patrick Kane.
