After missing the past seven games, it's nearly Showtime again in Detroit. Patrick Kane will return to the Red Wings lineup against the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks on Saturday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
The 35-year-old was a full participant in Thursday's practice, the team's first since the All-Star break.
“You try to look at the positive in the situation,” Kane said after the skate, per NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. “Obviously, it’s tough to miss games and have another injury when your body’s feeling good, but I guess it could be a good thing that I’m out there not really thinking about it.”
After undergoing hip resurfacing surgery back in June, Kane signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Red Wings on Nov. 28. He amassed seven goals and 16 points in his first 19 games in Motown before suffering a lower-body injury early in a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 14.
“You want to take care of it. You want to stay on top of it. But it’s kind of in the back of my mind now — or pretty much out of my mind now — that I’m coming back and dealing with something else,” Kane explained regarding his injury woes. “It was nice to have an extra week to 10 days there just to give it some more time and not rush back.”
Red Wings excited for Kane's return
Kane's return will be a massive boost for this Red Wings team, and the club's bench boss is looking forward to welcoming him back to the lineup.
“We’re just excited to have him back. Hopefully, he can get right back to pace as soon as possible,” said Derek Lalonde.
“I think he has a high standard for himself. I just really appreciate where he started to take some ownership, some intensity within the group, some leadership, which I thought was great. He was doing things defensively in his game to pitch in on our team play.”
With Detroit now 26-18-6 and holding onto the second wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference, Patrick Kane should be a crucial factor for the team down the stretch.
“I think we’re in a great spot right now,” the three-time Stanley Cup champion asserted. “The position we’re in, you don’t want to throw all that away, all the hard work you’ve done to get yourself into that spot. I know they’ve really been building up a culture here over the years, and it’s getting to that point where you could get into the playoffs, be a tough out, make it hard on teams in the playoffs. A lot of confidence in the group, excited about where we could go.”
The playoff push continues in earnest — with Patrick Kane back on the ice — against the Canucks on Saturday.
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