Patrick Kane is returning to the Detroit Red Wings for next season on a contract that gives him a chance to earn up to $6.5 million if he helps the Original Six franchise end its lengthy playoff drought.
Kane signed a one-year contract that a person with knowledge of the situation says is worth $4 million in salary with $2.5 million in additional incentives. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because terms of the deal were not announced.
Kane, a 35-year-old winger from Buffalo who won the Stanley Cup three times with Chicago from 2010-15, has continued playing after hip resurfacing surgery that only two other NHL players have returned from. He was nearly a point-a-game player in his first season with the Red Wings, scoring 20 goals and adding 27 assists.
Only Mike Modano has more NHL points than Kane’s 1,284 among U.S.-born players. He is entering his 17th professional season.
Kane figured to have multiple suitors if he reached free agency. Instead, he will try to lead Detroit back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. The eight-season run without a playoff appearance is the longest in the organization’s history that dates to 1926.
The Red Wings are expected to continue to be active in the free agent and trade markets, potentially adding a goaltender after missing out on the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference because of a tiebreaker with Washington.
The team extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Jonatan Berggren and Joe Veleno to retain their rights.