Patrick Kane’s true feelings on potential Red Wings return after brutal collapse

Patrick Kane and the Detroit Red Wings suffered a brutal collapse and missed the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the third consecutive year the Red Wings have missed the postseason through some sort of late-season collapse, and the 10th straight season without postseason hockey. This one, however, was the most avoidable. In any event, the team is left looking toward the offseason and answering some big questions.

One of the questions the team has to answer is in regards to Kane. The future Hall of Famer turned in his second consecutive 55+ point season for the Winged Wheel. But will the veteran return to Hockeytown for a fourth season? Kane said on Friday that he is certainly open to the idea.

“I think there is mutual interest for me to come back and continue my career here,” the Red Wings forward said, via NHL.com. “It’s been a great spot for me, my family and my son, and I’ve definitely enjoyed my time here. But there’s no rush — I’ll talk things over with my agent and my family, and we’ll see how everything plays out.

“I’d love to be part of the solution that gets this team over the hump. We have a good team here, and we can win. I think this team is better than some teams that are in the playoffs.”

On January 25th, Detroit was first in the Eastern Conference. However, they slumped hard coming out of the NHL’s Olympic break. A trade deadline day deal for Justin Faulk provided some added depth defensively. Unfortunately, the Red Wings still missed the playoffs by seven points.

Pressure to make the playoffs and turn the corner on this rebuild continues to mount. Detroit faces a critical offseason ahead. How they elect to approach Kane’s future could be an indicator of the direction the Red Wings are heading in 2026-27.

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