The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus posted one more column based upon player comments made during the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas this past week, this time with a focus on Lazerus’ beat covering the Chicago Blackhawks. Lazerus noted the following from Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat regarding his former teammate, Patrick Kane:
DeBrincat thinks Kane has plenty left in the tank at age 37.
“He’s got a lot more than people give him credit for,” DeBrincat said at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “Everyone thinks he was a great player, and I think he still is a great player. He’s still almost a point per game, the way he still controls the play and makes passes and slows it down. He’s obviously still a power-play guy, can really run your power play. And even his battle intensity — it’s not like he’s lost any of that. He’s still so competitive and wants to be the best and wants to win.”
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Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, who decided to cut ties with the team’s championship era in 2023 by trading Kane and not re-signing Toews, is now counting on Kane to help Chicago get back into the playoff conversation for the first time since his heyday.
“I think Chicago’s lucky to have him,” DeBrincat said. “Obviously, we wish he was still in Detroit, but I guess if he’s going anywhere, it’s probably good he’s going back there. All the fans will treat him well there.”
Continued (paywall) with more Blackhawks news; I’m going to miss Kane’s presence as an on-ice and off-ice “rink rat” the most. Kane was constantly developing and redeveloping his skill set in Detroit, putting in extra work after every practice, and he set a fine example for the Red Wings’ younger players to emulate.
I hope that they continue to attempt to hone their respective skill sets and try to get better without Kane here to set an example as to how hard one must work to remain a great NHL player.
