Amid the flurry of moves made by the Blackhawks Monday morning, one Chicago star who won a Stanley Cup with the team was brought back in a highly anticipated return. But that player wasn’t Patrick Kane, it was Teuvo Teravainen.
Kane was expected to hit unrestricted free agency healthy for the first time in his illustrious career. Clearly, however, the Red Wings had other ideas. On the eve of NHL free agency, Detroit signed Kane to another one-year deal for this season with a $4 million cap hit.
This deal may quickly catch the eye of many fans, especially those in Chicago who wanted him to return, because of how team-friendly it is. After all, it’s the same deal given today by the Blackhawks to Alec Martinez, a 36-year-old defenseman who projects to serve on the bottom pairing this season. Kane, on the other hand, put up 20 goals and 27 assists in 50 games after his hip procedure last season and is expected to post similarly productive numbers in his age-35 season.
Whether Chicago was once again considering Kane remains unclear. GM Kyle Davidson has made it abundantly clear that there was no plan to bring the franchise icon back to the Blackhawks, but then again, the team has never spent this kind of money on veterans before under Davidson. Given the deals he handed out today, there’s no question Kane would have been a great asset to help transition the team into another contender. Nevertheless, they never got the opportunity to offer him a deal, with the Red Wings locking him up before he hit the open market.
It’s interesting that Kane once again signed just a one-year deal with Detroit. His age certainly explains it, but the contract’s term also means we could be going through a similar scenario again next year. Kane has made it clear he wants to play for a contender in the twilight of his career, but what if Chicago is one by then? Time will tell whether there’s any substance to such speculation.
