The Red Wings understand exactly what Patrick Kane brought to their room, and they’re not pretending otherwise.
JT Compher called him a “Great person,” and added that Kane was a “Great mentor for a lot of guys in this room.” That kind of presence is part of why his exit landed the way it did in Detroit.
For Moritz Seider, though, there was another reaction mixed in with the goodbye. Seeing Kane back in a Chicago Blackhawks sweater felt natural.
“I think it’s really cool for me personally to see him back in his original colors,” Seider said. “Of course we’re going to miss him, but obviously we’ve got great additions. We have a really good team.
“But yeah, with one eye, I’m excited, obviously watching the Blackhawks and Patrick Kane.”
Seider also pointed to how long Kane spent weighing his next move as a sign of what the Red Wings meant to him.
“I think he took a lot of time thinking about coming back here, and it just shows how much this organization means to him, how much the locker room means to him,” Seider said.
Still, Detroit wasn’t shocked by the ending. The two-year deal with an AAV of $8.8 million from Chicago was, in Seider’s words, something Kane couldn’t pass up.
“I can’t really blame the guy,” Seider said. “It’s an unreal contract he got offered, and I’m really happy for him.”
Even with Kane gone, Compher said the lessons he left behind will stick in the room. The message was bigger than the roster move.
“Obviously, going back to an organization that he means a lot to,” Compher said. “But I think that we can take a lot of what he was able to teach guys in this room. Playing with swagger and confidence and believing in yourself.
“He’ll be missed. But I think everyone in the room will wish him the best.”
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