NHL: Red Wings Sign future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane

In a deal that got the whole hockey world talking, Detroit signed former Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane to a one-year deal, hoping to add some goal-scoring punch and veteran leadership to the forward rotation.

Kane is 35 and coming off a serious surgery on his hip, but he still might have some magic in those skates. Even bigger is the Red Wings signaling to their fans that it’s playoffs or bust this year.

The best online sportsbooks have markets on each Red Wings game and things have already been adjusted since the Kane signing. PointsBet has the Red Wings +1800 to win the Atlantic Division, BetRivers has +2000 to win division and +6500 to win Stanley Cup.

Patrick Kane has been (sorry for those words) one of the biggest stars in the NHL for over a decade. He won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013. He signed a monster eight-year deal with Chicago in 2014.

As the years went by, the Blackhawks faded and Kane’s production slowed. He was traded to the New York Rangers in a three-team deal in February, expected to be the last piece of a Cup-winning puzzle, but Kane had five goals in 19 games and the Rangers lost to the Devils in the first round.

Kane had hip resurfacing surgery in June, which is basically where they shave down part of your hip to alleviate pain. NHL players have had mixed success coming back from that procedure.

"There's still some hurdles to go," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said Tuesday on NHL.com, prior to the contract being announced. "Even if it does happen, I think there's going to be some time here, a level of patience certainly from us as a coaching staff going forward."

The Wings probably aren’t looking for Kane to be the same player he was in his prime with the Blackhawks. Kane had 446 goals in Chicago, and his 1,237 NHL points rank second among American-born players.

Detroit can use him on the power play and second line center behind Dylan Larkin. Kane did play with current Wings star Alex DeBrincat in Chicago. DeBrincat has 12 goals in 20 games with the Wings.

Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016. They sit in a tough division, but it’s clear to Detroit fans that they are going for it.

Detroit ranks fifth in the NHL in goals and were 11-6-3 entering Wednesday night’s game against the Rangers (Kane’s old team, ironically).

The Atlantic Division is still brutal. You can look at it two ways. Detroit is in a three-way tie for third with Toronto and Tampa Bay, so clinging to the last automatic playoff spot. Boston has a six-point lead in the division followed by Florida.

Goaltending remains a bit of a concern for Detroit. Ville Husso has seven wins, but has allowed 3.47 goals a game, back-up James Reimer has two wins and a much lower GAA (2.30). Larkin has eight goals and 13 assists. The NHL is an up-tempo, high-scoring league now. The Wings may see offense as their ticket to the playoffs.