After skating at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday morning, Patrick Kane would have loved to play his first game for the Detroit Red Wings at night against the New York Rangers.
Six months removed from an invasive operation only two other NHL players have come back from, Kane will give his surgically repaired right hip a little more time.
After signing a prorated $2.75 million contract for the rest of the season with the Red Wings, a more realistic possibility for his debut is Tuesday in his hometown of Buffalo against the Sabres 鈥 one of the several interested teams Kane had to choose from. Home games against San Jose on Dec. 7 and Ottawa on Dec. 9 are also candidates.
"We鈥檒l just take it day to day and keep getting better every day and then make a decision," Kane said on a video call with reporters Wednesday. 鈥淕et me up to speed, a few practices with the team, work on a few things in the gym and don鈥檛 really rush into it.鈥
The 35-year-old winger is roughly six months removed from undergoing hip resurfacing surgery. Kane said doctors cleared him for contact two months ago.
He feels significantly better than the last time he played: Game 7 of the Rangers' first-round series at New Jersey on May 1. Lateral movement is back after the nagging hip injury hampered him for quite some time.
鈥淚鈥檓 in a good spot,鈥 Kane said. 鈥淭he hip feels good and everything like that. So now I think we鈥檙e just kind of easing into it and making sure I鈥檓 ready to go instead of just kind of throwing me into the fire."
A three-time Stanley Cup champion and 2016 NHL MVP with Chicago, Kane said former Blackhawks teammate factored into his decision, along with the popularity of the sport in the place known as 鈥淗ockeytown.鈥
鈥淛ust the chemistry we鈥檝e had on the ice the last couple of years in Chicago there (and) he鈥檚 become one of my better friends around the league off the ice,鈥 Kane said of DeBrincat. 鈥淚 really like kind of where they鈥檙e going as far as the team and they鈥檙e really building something that I think is going to have a lot of success here, so I鈥檇 like to be part of that.鈥
Coach Derek Lalonde told reporters in New York that Kane could get a look on a line with DeBrincat and possibly captain Dylan Larkin.
鈥淟ike any player, we want to put him in the best opportunity to be successful in his skillset,鈥 Lalonde said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檇 foresee him with some pretty good forwards.鈥
Kane is attempting to follow Ed Jovanovski and Nicklas Backstrom back to the NHL from hip resurfacing surgery, which involves dislocating the upper end of the thighbone, trimming it, capping it and removing cartilage before putting it back in place. He said his love and passion for hockey made up his mind to attempt a comeback rather than call it a career.
鈥淚 feel like I have a lot left to give,鈥 Kane said. 鈥淚 still feel good as far as how I feel on the ice and my conditioning and I don鈥檛 feel like I鈥檓 getting old or anything like that in that regard. I didn鈥檛 want it to be the reason I had to stop playing.鈥
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