Winger Patrick Kane has been activated by the Detroit Red Wings from injured reserve. from injured reserve.
Although it hasn’t been verified, Kane, 35, is anticipated to start for the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
Kane is anticipated to slot on the second line alongside David Perron and J.T. Compher, based on the forward lines that were run during Thursday’s practice. This season, the trio has played together for just 1:30 minutes, during which both sides have been held scoreless and have a 72.73% projected goal share in 5v5.
Since his lower-body injury on January 14th during a 4-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kane has not been in the starting lineup. The Wings have gone 4-2-1 in the seven games he has missed since then.
With seven goals and nine assists for a total of 16 points in 19 games this season, Kane has performed as well as he has throughout his career. That amounts to a 42-point average.
After being selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2007 NHL Draft, Kane played his first 16 NHL seasons there, where he won three Stanley Cups (in 2010; 2013, 2015; and 2013); he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in that 2013 Cup victory. During his tenure with the Blackhawks, he also received the Ted Lindsay Award in 2016, the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy, and the Calder Trophy in 2008. After all, he was traded by the Blackhawks to the New York Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline, where he played out the remainder of the season.
He underwent hip surgery during the summer and signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Red Wings a bit over a month into the season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in the 2024 offseason.
The Red Wings play the Canucks on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST in an attempt to recover from their 3-2 overtime setback to the Ottawa Senators. Detroit, with a 26-18-6 record, presently holds the final wild card place in the Eastern Conference and is sixth in the Atlantic Division.
