Earlier this week, Patrick Kane found his new home. The future Hall of Famer signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He is expected to make his debut for the Original Six next week. Due to this, he’s a waiver-wire candidate whom fantasy managers will be watching. However, adding him to your fantasy hockey roster has clear pros and cons. Let’s discuss them now.
Pros & Cons of Adding Patrick Kane to Fantasy Hockey Roster
Reasons to Add Kane
Let’s start with the potential positives of adding Kane. It is not a secret that the Buffalo native is a legitimate star when playing at his highest level. After getting offseason hip surgery, the hope is that he will regain his All-Star form. Although he struggled last season, he was nothing short of excellent during the season before. In 78 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021-22, he had 92 points in 78 games. With that, he produced at an over a point-per-game pace in six out of the previous seven seasons. Because of this, he’s a prime bounce-back candidate.
Kane will also be put into a prime position to succeed. The 35-year-old winger is likely to play on the first line with star center Dylan Larkin and former Chicago Blackhawks teammate Alex DeBrincat. This trio has the potential to make real magic and could be one of the NHL’s top lines if Kane’s on his game. Along with this, Kane will see a plethora of power-play time.
Kane is also extra motivated this season. The veteran winger’s goal is to show the NHL he’s still a star and prove his critics wrong. This could give him the extra push he needs to have a big campaign with Detroit.
Reasons to Avoid Kane
While there are clear reasons to add Kane, there are reasons to avoid him. The biggest reason why fantasy managers should be careful with Kane is his surgery. While the hope is that he will bounce back, there is also no guarantee that he will. Some notable players who had the same surgery as him include Nicklas Backstrom, Ed Jovanovski, Carl Hagelin, and Ryan Kesler. Out of these four, Backstrom played the most games (47) but has since taken a leave of absence due to his ongoing hip issues. Jovanovski played in just 37 games with the Florida Panthers during the 2013-14 season before retiring. Meanwhile, Kesler and Hagelin never played again. Thus, there are odds stacked against Kane.
Another risk in adding Kane is his steep decline in numbers last season. In 73 games, he had 21 goals and 57 points. These are not bad numbers at all, but they are significantly lower than his previous seasons. As a result, there is some concern that his pace of production could drop even further. Keep in mind that Father Time hits every player, and Kane is getting up there in age.
Nevertheless, there are both positives and negatives to look for in adding Kane. He has undoubtedly had a marvelous career, but will he bounce back after his hip surgery? It is going to be very interesting to see how well Kane performs for the Red Wings from here.