The Chicago Blackhawks’ long love affair with forward Patrick Kane ended last year, but if the team had shown a little more interest in him, the current Detroit Red Wings skater would be probably still in town.
In any case, this is what the 35-year-old veteran told The Athletic.
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“If they had come to me and said, ‘We want you to be a member of the team for life. Can we find a solution?’, I think it probably would have been hard to say no, he said. It’s just because of what happened there and the success we had and the relationship with the organization.”
Ultimately, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson decided that trading the man who lifted three Stanley Cups with his team was more beneficial for the future of the franchise. As a reminder, Kane was traded from the Blackhawks to the New York Rangers in February 2023, notably in return for a conditional second round pick and a fourth round selection.
An enriching experience
However, the winger does not regret having had the opportunity for a change of scenery. On the contrary, he thinks it was an enriching experience.
“But I think it was good for me to have new experiences,” Kane said. And even though it didn’t go as well as I hoped in New York, I still thought it was a great experience for me.”
His New York epic, however, only lasted one spring. Kane suited up for the Rangers 19 times during the regular season, plus seven times in the playoffs.
After a long recovery from hip surgery last summer, the man who was drafted first overall by the Blackhawks in 2007 signed in November with the Detroit Red Wings until the end of this campaign. .
In 16 years at Illinois, Kane amassed 446 goals and 779 assists for 1,225 points in 1,161 games.