- Patrick Kane says Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz called him at 11:03 the second free agency opened
- Kane figured he was headed back to Detroit before that phone call landed
- Read below for Kane’s full comments and what waits for him in Chicago
Patrick Kane thought he was going back to Detroit.
The Blackhawks winger sat down with Pardon My Take on Monday and walked through how the reunion actually came together. It started with a phone call from chairman Danny Wirtz the minute the market opened on July 1.
“If you were to ask me last year, at the end of the season, I thought I would be going back to Detroit. You know, things happen, and then it’s like okay, let’s take our team, see what’s out there July first, and Danny Wirtz called me at like 11:03, as soon as free agency opened,” Kane said.
Watch Kane tell it:
That call stayed with him.
“It was actually kind of an emotional call from him. It was a call I’ll never forget,” Kane said. “Then all of a sudden you start thinking about, well okay, there’s interest, maybe it would be a cool place to come back and play.”
Three more weeks passed before it got done. The Blackhawks announced the two-year contract on July 23, paying Kane $8 million a season through the 2027-28 campaign:
Timing worked on both ends. Kane liked where the roster was headed, and he liked how his body felt coming off a full season.
“I think things kind of worked out where they are at the stage where they are trying to take a step as a team,” Kane said. “And I was a free agent and just kind of where I’m at, feeling good about my body, about myself, about my game.”
He put up 57 points in 67 games for the Red Wings last season at 37 years old, his third year in Detroit after Chicago traded him to the Rangers in 2023.
At his introductory press conference, Kane made it clear the return isn’t a farewell tour.
Daily Faceoff’s early 2026-27 projection puts him on the top line with Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard.
Alex Vlasic and Bowen Byram lead the blue line, and Spencer Knight gets the crease. Take a look at the full projected lineup:
Chicago has missed the playoffs six straight seasons and has won one series since the 2015 Cup.
Kane’s first shot at changing that comes September 29 in Vegas, with the United Center home opener October 6 against the Blues.
