The Chicago Blackhawks had set their sights on Patrick Kane, and they wouldn’t stop until the reunion was complete. However, amid reports that his return was a toss-up between Chicago and the Buffalo Sabres, the Hawks had to make sure they didn’t come up short against Buffalo’s offer. Needless to say, they went well beyond it, and Connor Bedard finally has the elite veteran teammate he has long yearned for in the NHL.
As reported by Elliotte Friedman, Patrick Kane has signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. Under the deal, Kane gets the longer stay in Chicago he was reportedly after, rather than going through yet another contract year and nerve-racking offseason. “Showtime” is back in the City of Big Shoulders and is setting up shop on Michigan Avenue through the 2027-28 NHL season.
Although Bedard will be sidelined to start the NHL regular season (expected to miss September and October), Kane’s arrival should do wonders for the 21-year-old entering his fourth year in the league. Judging by how much money Chicago is investing in Kane at 37 (will turn 38 on Nov. 19), it’s clear the Blackhawks are growing anxious, and they don’t care to hide that from the rest of the league.
Kane’s new contract sets him for big raise
Coming off three consecutive one-year deals with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane informed the organization in Motor City he wouldn’t return—the franchise’s 10th straight playoff miss and Dylan Larkin’s ‘no way out’ trade request likely proved to be the last straw. It paid off for Kane, who is now set to make significantly more than he did in Detroit.
Kane is back in Chicago, where he won 3 Stanley Cups.
Kane earned a total of $9.75 million across his three seasons with the Red Wings. He will earn almost that much in just his first year back in Chi-town. During the 2026-27 NHL season, Kane will be the second-highest-paid player on the roster behind Bedard ($17 million salary this season).
In 2027-28, however, Kane will also drop behind Bowen Byram, whose six-year, $75 million extension will come into effect. Still, considering how much he was making in Detroit, Kane can’t complain. The cherry on top is that he gets to call the United Center home once again.
An unbeatable offer
While deciding between his hometown club and the organization that drafted him first overall was a difficult choice for Kane, the moment Chicago made its bid, the debate was probably over. No one saw such a deal coming, and it was certainly an offer the Sabres couldn’t match—and probably wouldn’t have been interested in matching.
The Sabres have roughly $5 million available in cap space, so they wouldn’t have been able to accommodate an $8 million AAV deal for the veteran Kane. Chicago, on the other hand, was well below the salary cap and was essentially negotiating with a blank check. In the end, the most logical outcome came to pass, and Kane signed with the Blackhawks.
Who knows? Maybe things don’t work out and Kane is traded to the Sabres before the deadline (more likely in 2028). For the time being, though, No. 88 is back in Chicago, and it seems that’s where he’ll spend the rest of his career.
