What NHL scouts think about the Red Wings adding Patrick Kane

On the Red Wings newest addition and how others think it'll play out.

It was slightly awkward after Detroit Red Wings practice on Tuesday.

Everyone in the locker room was well aware of the reports that Patrick Kane had chosen to sign with Detroit, reportedly at a cap hit of $2.75 million, but the deal isn’t finalized or official yet.

There are still hurdles to be cleared, in the words of Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, so discussions about Kane are more conceptual. Some players, like Alex DeBrincat, would speak more openly about what Kane’s addition meant, but for others it’s an idea on paper that doesn’t really matter until Kane shows up for a practice or morning skate.

As Lucas Raymond told me, Kane is more of an idea for him that brings up memories of playing NHL video games than a potential real-life teammate.

For most of the Red Wings, the biggest question right now is about how they’ll perform on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers without Dylan Larkin.

Lalonde was also coy as possible about how things could play out with Kane, even downplaying his reported Zoom meeting with Kane where he wooed the free agent with talks of hockey schematics.

It’s not surprising, especially with the nature of how information is handled in the Red Wings organization. Steve Yzerman is notoriously tight-lipped, and when reading the tea leaves, most of the Kane leaks and info have come courtesy of his agents at CAA.

So on Thursday, after the Red Wings practiced, I reached out to a handful of NHL scouts to discuss the Kane signing.