Patrick Kane signs with Red Wings, joining Blackhawks’ rival: reports

Former Blackhawks great Patrick Kane plans to sign with the Red Wings following a lengthy bidding period, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Kane had been recovering from hip surgery and evaluating the pros and cons of his suitors over the first two months of the season after becoming a free agent this past summer.

He’ll join former Hawks partner-in-crime Alex DeBrincat on a resurgent Wings team that currently ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference with an 11-6-3 record. His contract will be for one year and carry a $2.75 million salary-cap hit, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported.

It’s a move that won’t sit well with plenty of Hawks fans, who may have accepted the fact Kane wouldn’t be returning to Chicago but won’t enjoy seeing him in the bright red tones of a rival.

It was the Wings, after all, who ended Kane’s first playoff run with the Hawks in the 2009 Western Conference Final. More recently, it was also the Wings against whom Kane scored his 400th career goal during the 2021 no-fans season.

The Hawks will face the Wings in Detroit on Thursday, although it’s unclear if Kane will be in the lineup that soon. The Wings visit to Chicago isn’t until Feb. 25, the date of Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement ceremony.

This story will be updated.