Patrick Kane’s role with the Chicago Blackhawks could potentially be complicated. Kane hasn’t donned the red, orange and black in more than three and a half years. So far, at least, he seems to have a pretty good idea of what he’s supposed to accomplish in his second stint with the Blackhawks. Kane spoke with the hosts of “Cubs Live!” this week on Chicago’s Marquee Sports Network.
Based on his answers, it sounds like Kane has a pretty good idea that he’s got a new role to play in the Windy City. He also made it clear that this isn’t something he feels he can take for granted.
“When I left Chicago, I didn’t know if there was going to be a situation or an opportunity to come back,” Kane said. “You kind of think you move on from that and start your career somewhere else and try to build something there.”
Chicago traded Kane to the New York Rangers. He was still dealing with hip issues at the time. After offseason surgery, he ultimately chose to sign with another Original Six team — the Detroit Red Wings. Patrick Kane’s role in Detroit could look similar to what it looks like in his second stint with Chicago. As a result, Kane has a chance to try and impart some of what he learned during his youth to one of the NHL’s youngest teams.
“These guys get the opportunity to do that,” Kane said. “To be part of that group and help them along is something that’s going to be pretty fun for me.”
Patrick Kane Is Still a Chicago Legend
Kane should go down as one of the best American-born hockey players of all time, maybe even the best of all-time. He’s also one of the most consequential Chicago Blackhawks in the franchise’s history. Certainly, no one will forget Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Jonathan Toews, or Duncan Keith.
Kane, however, holds a special place in the franchise’s history. He’s the franchise’s second-leading scorer of all time, behind only Mikita. He also won two more Cups than Mikita and helped usher in the best decade in club history.
In seven years from 2009 to 2015, the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups and lost twice in the Western Conference Finals. The 2014 Western Conference Finals might be the best series of the salary cap era. Four of the final five games were decided by one goal, while Chicago and Los Angeles split the two overtime games in the seven-game slugfest.
It’s clear what Patrick Kane’s role once was — the franchise. Yet, it’s also clear that Kane’s not the player he used to be. He appears much improved from the 2022-23 version that dealt with ongoing hip problems. So what version of Kane are the Hawks getting? And what version of the Hawks is Kane getting? Is there any lingering resentment in the fanbase tied to the Brad Aldrich fallout?
He’s been through a lot, for better or worse. Patrick Kane’s new role seems clear: help the kids.
“The guys are very young,” he said. “There’s a lot of 20-, 21-, 19-, 24-year-olds on the team. I’m 37 now.”
Patrick Kane’s Role in Chicago
Kane certainly has one very obvious job on the ice: solve the problem of a moribund power play. Chicago finished 29th in the NHL in efficiency last season. Only the St. Louis Blues were worse at generating shots and chances on the power play, according to Natural Stat Trick. In fact, Chicago actually scored at a slightly more respectable rate. The finishing talent is there, particularly when Bedard is healthy. Kane is the type of facilitator that could bring out much more from a talented but clearly unpolished unit. Kane remains as effective as ever, hitting 17 assists on the power play in back-to-back seasons. His career average is 17.1 power-play assists per season. As a result, Patrick Kane’s role on the power play likely will be the easiest question to answer this season.
Chicago wants Kane to answer a question that has burned them for half a decade now. Can anyone fix the Hawks at five-on-five? Chicago just finished its fifth consecutive season as the worst team in expected goal generation at five-on-five in the NHL. That’s a massive issue that must change for Chicago to sniff competitiveness again.
Expectations for Chicago and Kane are Low
That’s something, right? Chicago has the 14th-worst odds to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, per FanDuel. The bar is really low. The bar for Kane might be slightly higher if he can remain healthy. He’s coming off a respectable 57 points in 67 games while posting solid metrics. Patrick Kane’s role as a driver of offense should help, if he can remain healthy.
Still, it likely will be a disappointment for Kane if he can’t, for the second time in his career, help usher in a new era of greatness in Chicago.
“I would love to be part of a championship here again,” Kane said. “Just to help these guys along the way, even if it’s a few years down the road where they win one. If I’m here great, if I’m not then you kind of feel like you’re a part of it.”
They say you can never go home twice. He may be from Buffalo, but Kane has long since adopted Chicago as his home. Long-suffering Blackhawks fans are hoping his second stint will prove Showtime is back.
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