The Patrick Kane sweepstakes may be narrowing, and for Red Wings fans, the latest chatter is the kind that makes the stomach turn.
Detroit is already juggling plenty. The club still needs a new head of hockey operations after announcing that Steve Yzerman was stepping down from his role as executive vice president and general manager, and then there’s captain Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade this offseason. With Yzerman out, the Red Wings now have to sort out what comes next for Larkin and the rest of the roster.
Kane remains one of the biggest names still available, and there’s no sign he’s ready to call it a career. A return to Detroit does not appear likely, though, even with the Buffalo Sabres heavily linked to him as a possible homecoming.
The team making the loudest public push, at least for now, is the Chicago Blackhawks - Kane’s former club and one of Detroit’s most hated rivals.
Chicago added another major piece to its future this past weekend when it signed Connor Bedard to a five-year, $75 million contract extension. Soon after, Bedard was asked about the possibility of Kane coming back, and he made it clear he’d welcome it.
"I hope so," Bedard said, h/t ESPN. "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.
"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. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him."
That kind of reaction isn’t hard to understand. Kane carved out his place as one of the best players in Blackhawks history, and Red Wings fans know exactly how much damage he could do in his prime.
Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson also sounded open to the idea when he spoke on 104.3 The Score.
"Patrick knows where we stand," said Davidson, h/t Audacy. "And his understanding and the path we've taken over the last number of years has been something that was obviously communicated to him when he was here last time.
I think everybody was in a different place at that time in terms of what we were looking to accomplish, what he was looking to accomplish. Patrick Kane's seen as a Blackhawk.
We feel he's a Blackhawk for life. He knows where we stand on it.
"We've got such a great deal of respect and care for Kaner, that I think it would be derelict in my duty to not at least consider the option and to explore the possibility."
Even with that interest, the final call belongs to Kane. Based on the reporting and Chris Chelios’ comments, the choice appears to be coming down to Chicago and Buffalo.
For Detroit, neither option is especially appealing. The Blackhawks are the old Western Conference enemy, while the Sabres sit in the Atlantic Division and are coming off an impressive 2025-26 season in which they won the division.
For now, the Red Wings are waiting on their own situation to settle. They need to fill the hockey operations vacancy, then figure out Larkin’s future. Until that happens, there’s not much reason for Detroit fans to expect a busy stretch ahead.
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