Patrick Kane is coming home. The Chicago Blackhawks announced Thursday that the 37-year-old winger has signed a two-year, $16 million contract — an $8 million cap hit per season — to return to the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2007 and where he built a Hall of Fame résumé over 16 seasons.
Kane had been weighing offers from the Blackhawks and his hometown Buffalo Sabres for weeks before choosing Chicago, where he ranks second in franchise history with 1,225 points and 779 assists, trailing only Stan Mikita in both categories. His 446 goals and 1,161 games played sit third on the Blackhawks’ all-time list.
“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,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “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.”
Kane won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks — 2010, 2013, and 2015 — ending a 47-year championship drought and establishing the franchise’s modern identity alongside Jonathan Toews, who retired last year. Kane captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013 and swept the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award in 2015-16 after a 46-goal, 106-point campaign. He is the last active player from those three Cup-winning Chicago teams.
The reunion almost didn’t happen. Kane was shipped to the New York Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline in a three-team deal, then spent three seasons in Detroit on a series of one-year contracts — $2.75 million, $4 million, and $3 million respectively. The Red Wings got productive hockey out of him: last season he posted 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games. Not the point-per-game pace of his prime, but a meat-and-potatoes total for a guy who’s been taking NHL shifts since most of the current rookie class was in middle school.
Across 1,369 regular-season games, Kane has compiled 508 goals and 1,400 points. His playoff line — 53 goals and 138 points in 143 games — is where the real money is. Among active NHL players, only Sidney Crosby has more career assists, and only Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin have more points.
Connor Bedard, the 2023 first-overall pick who recently signed a five-year, $75 million extension, had openly lobbied for the move earlier in the week. “I don’t know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we’d all be so excited to have a player like that but also a guy like that,” Bedard told reporters. “I can’t imagine his first game back at the United Center, just the reaction he’d get and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well.”
Bedard will miss the first month of the season, leaving Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar to skate alongside Kane in the interim. The Blackhawks open the preseason September 19 against the Minnesota Wild and begin the regular season September 29 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. The home opener is October 6 against the St. Louis Blues — the night the United Center roof comes off.
Sources:
- Yahoo Sports — Patrick Kane Returns to Blackhawks on Two-Year Deal
- Yahoo Sports — Veteran Patrick Kane Reunites With Blackhawks on 2-Year, $16M Deal
- Yahoo Sports — Patrick Kane Returns to Blackhawks on a 2-Year, $16M Deal
- Yahoo Sports — Patrick Kane Reunites With Chicago Blackhawks in $16 Million Deal
- Spotrac — Patrick Kane Contract Details