Analyzing & Reacting to Patrick Kane’s Return to the Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Thursday (Jul. 23) that former franchise icon Patrick Kane has inked a two-year contract with the team. For the last several weeks, Kane (as an unrestricted free agent) has been deliberating between signing with two different clubs; the Buffalo Sabres or the Blackhawks. Kane hails from Buffalo, which would make for a fun homecoming of sorts with a contending organization. But Chicago was his second home for 16 years, and where he was an integral piece in bringing three Stanley Cups to the city.

Kane’s decision has now been made, and he ultimately chose to come back to the Blackhawks. For a fanbase that’s been dealing with the frustrations of a long and painful rebuild, this is certainly exciting news. Let’s discuss the implications of Kaner’s return.

A Homecoming for Kane

I’ll be the first to admit I never thought I would see this happen. When Blackhawk’s general manager Kyle Davidson dealt Kane to the New York Rangers in Feb. 2023, it seemed like the end of an era. Davidson said he wanted to clear the deck for the youngsters, and usher in a new generation. The move was also part of the organization tearing things down to the studs as part of a full-fledged rebuild. As it turns out, they were then in a position to draft Connor Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

But Davidson appears to have had a change of heart. He fully committed to Kane, wooing him with two years of term (instead of just one) and a huge pay raise ($8 million versus his previous $3 million with the Detroit Red Wings). Said the GM in a statement,

Day in and day out for 16 seasons, Patrick captivated the city of Chicago with his dazzling skill, creating some of the most memorable moments in Blackhawks history as he helped bring our storied franchise back to the pinnacle of our sport. He’s shown on countless occasions that he knows what it takes to win at the highest levels, and we couldn’t be prouder for Patrick to once again call the United Center home and continue to shine in Chicago’s brightest lights.

So why the change of heart? Well for one, the Blackhawk’s young core has established themselves over the past three seasons since Kane has left. Bedard, Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic and goaltender Spencer Knight make up a new core. This is a young group that’s leading the way for countless other players coming up in the ranks and getting their feet wet in the league.

Kane will likely be revered and appreciated in the room, but it’s not his team anymore. The youngsters have laid down their roots and entrenched themselves. Long story short, it’s simply different now.

Additionally, Bedard’s offseason injury could’ve factored into this decision. The Blackhawks made it clear at exit interviews last April that there was an urgency headed into this coming season. There was an expectation to be exponentially better. But then their top player suddenly became sidelined for the start the season. Finding reinforcements became even more of a priority.

Considering the Blackhawks had a hard time finding another elite forward on the open market, reuniting with Kane likely became more and more enticing. He might be 37 years old and past his prime, but he’s still a very good player with elite vision and creativity. Kane contributed an admirable 16 goals and 57 points in 67 games with the Red Wings last season. That calculates to 41 assists, by the way. Only Bedard (45 assists) had more helpers with the Blackhawks last season. Kane’s playmaking abilities could certainly go a long way on this Blackhawks’ squad.

The Bedard/Kane Connection

Now that the dust has settled a little bit, this is a very exciting concept! Kane and Bedard on the same team; who would’ve ever thunk it?! Their collective pedigree speaks for themselves. Kane was selected first overall by the Blackhawks in 2007.

Patrick Kane as a young player for the Chicago Blackhawks. (The Hockey Writers archives)

Bedard was also picked in the No. 1 spot by the Hawks, albeit 16 years later. These are the only two players selected first overall in franchise history. How appropriate that the past and the future collide in this way?!

For his part, Bedard seems to be fully embracing the opportunity to play with Bedard. During his press conference on Jul. 20 for his own contract mega contract extension, he was asked about potentially playing with Kane.

Yeah, I hope so! I don’t know what I can say to persuade his decision. But obviously, we’d be so excited to have a player like that, but also a guy like that. I can’t imagine his first game back at the UC. The reaction he’d get, and just how much juice that would bring to, not only our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. So hopefully he decides to come back. You talked about kind of the legacy aspect of it, but just as a team, it would make us a way better team. He’s still an amazing player. So I don’t know if it’s the best pitch (laughs), but hopefully he comes back, and we can we can play together, for sure.

Kane has made a habit of mentoring young players throughout the years. He embraced Artemi Panarin when he came over from the KHL. He took a rookie Alex DeBrincat under his wing; just to name a few. Now, he’ll have a chance to provide some tutelage to Bedard.

I have no doubt that Kane and Bedard, two rink rats and hockey nerds, will be putting their heads together, discussing plays and sharing their respective visions.

Will these two elite forwards be on a line together?! I can’t imagine head coach Jeff Blashill wouldn’t experiment with this. He’d be crazy not to. But what about line combinations before Bedard returns? Let’s get to that.

Where Will Kane Fit In the Lineup?

It’s a given Kane will slot into the top-six somewhere, especially at the beginning of the season when Bedard is still sidelined. I would assume Nazar and Anton Frondell will serve as the top two centers. You can interchange them as the first or second line, depending on what Coach Blashill decides will make the most sense.

Kane would definitely line up on the right side of one of them. I put together some lineup projections in a previous piece, before we knew Kane was in the fold. They looked like this:  

Tyler Bertuzzi – Frondell – Roman Kantserov

Teuvo Teravainen – Nazar – Nick Lardis

Ryan Greene – Oliver Moore – Cole Smith

Landon Slaggert – Ryan Donato – Jordan Greenway

In one scenario, you could very easily displace Teravainen and move Lardis to what’s his natural side anyway. Nazar and Kane have trained together in the past, and I’m sure they’d love to see if they could build some chemistry playing alongside each other.

Bertuzzi – Frondell – Kantserov

Lardis – Nazar – Kane

Here’s another scenario, placing Kane alongside Frondell and moving Kantserov down in the lineup. Kane isn’t exactly known for his defensive prowess, so having a strong 200-foot responsible forward like Frondell centering him could be advantageous.

Bertuzzi – Frondell – Kane

Lardis – Nazar – Kantserov

An argument against bringing Kane on is that he could take away a spot from one of the youngsters, such as Slaggert. It’s also pretty obvious nobody from the Rockford IceHogs will be making the team out of training camp.

But it could just as easily be one of the veterans that becomes the odd man out. Would it be Teravainen? Donato? Smith? Greenway? I’m sure competition will be stiff. But let’s face it; this is a good problem to have.

And this is all before Bedard comes back! It will certainly be fun to see how the forward lines eventually fall into place.

The Captaincy Question

Finally, I’d like to address the Blackhawk’s impending captaincy. I’ve seen many people say on Twitter that having Kane back will only make it uncomfortable and awkward to name Bedard as the next captain.

I completely disagree. As I alluded to above, Kane is really just passing through. He’s on a bit of a farewell tour, but he’s honestly a minor character in the show now. He’s here to help the Blackhawks win, yes. And he brings all the past glory of the good old days. It’s good for the team, good for ticket sales, and it’s certainly going to be super fun.  

But Kane isn’t the future of this franchise. Connor Bedard is. And Kane knows that better than anybody. I’m sure it’s already been discussed between him and management. Kane is here to play a complementary role, and of course help the team gain some more victories along the way.

In my mind, the only question is when the Blackhawks will name Bedard as the next captain. Will they do it before the season starts, or after he returns from injury? Perhaps they really will wait one more year, and just go with alternate captains for another season.

But I don’t think that’s very likely. Bedard will be the captain sooner rather than later, and Kane will honor that with grace and humility. While the two of them are figuring out more ways to score…

All in all, it’s extremely exciting that Kane will once again be a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. On a very different team and with a very different role. But at this moment in time, it fits him and it fits the rest of the group.

It should be a heck of a lot of fun.