Like everyone else this summer, Alex DeBrincat was watching and waiting to see whether Patrick Kane would come back to Detroit. But as a longtime linemate and friend, there was a bit more personal at stake.
Luckily for DeBrincat and the Red Wings, Kane and Detroit’s front office found a way to make a second year work. Showtime will remain with the Red Wings this season after signing a one-year contract right before free agency. The move isn’t just a nod of faith in the Red Wings’ playoff aspirations, but it’s also a big deal for DeBrincat, a player who looks up to Kane.
“We were talking most of the summer, I think he didn’t necessarily know what he was going to do,” DeBrincat said Friday. “At the end of the day, I think he knew he liked playing here. He loved the fans and loved the team — just loved being a Red Wing. So, him coming back was huge for our team, and obviously it’s great for me and him.”
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
DeBrincat and Kane spent most of last season written together on the line sheet, a natural continuation of their five seasons playing together in Chicago. With both Dylan Larkin and J.T. Compher centering them, the duo created two of the three most productive forward lines for Detroit in terms of expected goals. Using Kane’s playmaking and DeBrincat’s shot, the two naturally complement each other on the ice.
“The way (Kane) plays, I think you try to look at how he plays,” DeBrincat said. “He creates so much, so you try to take some of that same stuff and put it in your own game. But obviously he’s pretty special so you can’t take too much. You take what you can and let him do the rest.”
As Kane sticks with Detroit, his and DeBrincat’s future together isn’t a certainty given their usage on separate lines thus far in training camp. What is clear is that the Red Wings will benefit from Kane’s offensive production no matter who plays with him. And coming off an offseason where he could train not only for injury rehab but also for personal progression, Kane hopes to be in for a big year.
Even just having Kane around as a mentor is a big deal for DeBrincat. This is a guy whose families hang out together, who has also had a pronounced impact on his career since he was a rookie.
This Kane effect spans across the entire roster, too. Take it from Dylan Larkin, Detroit’s captain who idolized Kane growing up.
Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
“When he speaks up in our room—and to be honest with you before playing with him last year I didn’t know he was like that—but he will stand up, and he will say things, and when he talks, people listen,” Larkin explained Thursday. “He’s earned that in this league and especially with our team, so to see that he wanted to come back and know that he had a full summer of training, he’s gonna get a full camp in, I’m very excited for him.”
[Read More: Kane Enters Year Two in Detroit “Motivated for More”]
For DeBrincat, the benefit of Kane isn’t just what he brings on the ice. He also credits Kane as a key mentor for cracking it in the NHL way back when he was a rookie.
“He’s taught me so much, on the ice and off the ice” DeBrincat said. “I think off the ice, he treats his body really well. And he eats the right stuff and he does whatever he can to get ready for the next game.” DeBrincat also credited Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith as key mentors in his career, too. “Those guys, really helped me throughout the early parts of my career. Just how to act like a pro, how to treat your body like a pro.”
Considering how he treats his body, it’s no stroke of luck nor accident that Patrick Kane is the last one standing of the Chicago Blackhawks’ core players from its Stanley Cup heyday. Toews is retired in practice if not in definition, meanwhile Seabrook, Keith and Marian Hossa haven’t played in years. Kane’s care for his own body — even his risky hip surgery before joining Detroit — has equipped him to play in the NHL as a soon-to-be 36-year-old, still an impact player if not to the same degree as his former Hart-winning form.
“He’s a huge part of our team,” DeBrincat said. “He can create so much on offense and he has so much leadership. He’s been through a lot throughout his career. That leadership in the locker room, we have a lot of guys who bring that but him in general on the ice, he plays such a different way from everyone. I think it just adds another element of offense. He’s a big part of our team, so it’s great to have him back.”
Kane coming back to Detroit doesn’t just show belief in its ability to be a playoff team, but it’s also a personal win for a group of players to whom he means so much. The Red Wings, and especially DeBrincat, don’t take that for granted.
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