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The action has been fast and furious across the hockey world leading into NHL Free Agency on Tuesday. Mitch Marner has found a new home before hitting the open market. And players like Ivan Provorov have remained with their teams. On Monday, another name remained with his current club as Patrick Kane has re-upped with the Detroit Red Wings.
Kane has signed a one-year contract with the Winged Wheel, Detroit confirmed on social media. This contract carries a cap hit of $3 million. This is the third consecutive one-year contract the future Hall of Fame winger has signed in the Motor City since joining the team in November 2023.
Kane's deal comes with a pretty extensive list of bonuses, as broken down by Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Patrick Kane bonus breakdown on #RedWings extension:
** $2.5M for 10 games played
** $250,000 each for 30 and 50 games played
** $500,000 for reaching playoffs
** $250,000 for Round 1 win
** $250,000 for Round 2 win
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 1, 2025
The Red Wings have made a few moves over the weekend. Detroit traded for John Gibson in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. On Monday, they re-signed defenseman Albert Johansson and forward Jonatan Berggren. Entering NHL Free Agency, Detroit has around $17.2 million to work with.
What Red Wings can do after Patrick Kane extension
Outside of goaltending, Detroit has not addressed its most pressing needs. Even after signing Kane to a new contract, the Red Wings need a top-six forward. Moreover, they need a top-four defenseman as well as some scoring depth. Unfortunately, NHL Free Agency is rather barren, especially after Monday's activities.
Detroit can still find a top-six forward on the open market. Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser are likely to hit the market on Tuesday afternoon. Mikael Granlund could also play in a team's top-six. However, these are about the only options available. And there are going to be multiple teams clamoring for their services.
The options on the back end are even more dire. John Klingberg is the top right-shot defenseman following the Aaron Ekblad contract extension with the Florida Panthers. On the left side, there is Vladislav Gavrikov. After him, though, the quality drops off noticeably.
The Red Wings could certainly look to the trade market. In fact, they've been connected with New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller. No matter how they attack the offseason, though, they have the room to make noise. Let's see how things pan out for the Red Wings over the coming days.
