CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane No. 1 overall in the 2007 draft, they counted on the forward, then just 18, to give their rebuilding team and its sputtering offense an immediate boost.
Fast-forward 19 years: The Blackhawks again hope that Kane, now 37 and entering his 20th NHL season, will do the same after signing the all-time scoring leader among U.S.-born players to a $16 million, two-year deal.
“I mean that’s kind of always what I’ve been known to do is help produce,” Kane said Friday at the Blackhawks practice facility. “I don’t think that’s going to change any time now. I’m excited to come back and try to produce and fit in with all these young players and guys that I can play with, help build chemistry, learn. So do all those things. Help the team win. Help the team score."
Kane said he feels strong three years after undergoing a major hip resurfacing surgery and rehabbing his way back for three solid seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Kane has 1,400 points in 1,369 career NHL games (508 goals and 892 assists). He cranked out 16 goals and 41 assists in 67 games last season for Detroit and says he’s not slowing down.
Kane had discussions with his hometown Buffalo Sabres after becoming a free agent on July 1. But it seems to have been an easy decision to return to Chicago, where he spent his first 15-plus NHL seasons and helped the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cup championships as one of the NHL’s most electrifying players.
Kane said there wasn’t one deciding factor in returning to Chicago, where he has spent his summers. He acknowledged the homecoming, but said his biggest focus is helping a team “that’s on the rise, a team that’s looking to make some big steps forward and trying to make the playoffs"
“It’s not like I’m just coming back home, to you know, ride off into the sunset or whatever it is," Kane said “You know I want to be a big player here and help the team win.”
Part of that will be meshing with Chicago’s young forwards. That starts with center Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks only other No. 1 overall draft pick who was selected in 2023.
Bedard will miss the early part of the season after left shoulder surgery on July 8. Bedard, who signed a $75 million, five-year contract last week, got hurt skating with a group of NHL players near his home in suburban Vancouver. Once Bedard returns, Kane can’t wait to skate with him.
“He’s such a special player,” Kane said. “This will be my 20th year in the league and I’ll probably see passes I’ve never seen before playing with him. But I mean, wherever I fit in, I fit in. No matter who it is, I’m going to try to make the most of it.”
The statistical symmetry between the Blackhawks in 2006-07, the season before Kane entered as a rookie, and last year’s team is stunning.
The 2006-07 Blackhawks scored just 201 goals, second lowest in the NHL, as they went 31-42-9 for 71 points. With Kane in the lineup the following year — and posting 21 goals and 51 assists — Chicago jumped to 40-34-9 and 88 points. The Blackhawks scored 239 times and narrowly missed the playoffs.
In 2025-26, Chicago finished at 29-39-14 with 72 points, and scored just 213 goals, behind only Calgary (212).
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said it was time to bring Kane back after dealing him to the New York Rangers just before the March 2023 trade deadline.
Davidson was beginning a major overhaul of his roster then. In addition to focusing on prospects, he said the Blackhawks also needed to focus on building a new leadership core.
That process, with Bedard leading the way, has already started, Davidson said. Kane can only help now.
“They (Blackhawks young players) already know their way around the league a little bit,” Davidson said. “It’s the right time for him (Kane) to come, step in, join a group of of not all young players –- but a considerable group of young players -– and provide high-end play, but also high-end leadership and a lot of different things that he can impart on our young players."
FILE - Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates before an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)
