Detriot has signed a player

Detriot has signed a player , according to the Associated Press.

Patrick Kane has agreed to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The individual spoke on the condition of anonymity because Kane had not yet signed a contract. He is expected to sign a contract for the rest of the NHL season.

The 35-year-old Kane was an unrestricted free agent recovering from hip resurfacing surgery in June. He’s been skating since August and told the Associated Press in September that he was feeling more like his old self.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner with Chicago and 2016 league MVP chose Detroit over his hometown Buffalo Sabres, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the reigning Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.

The Red Wings will become Kane’s third Original Six team, following the Blackhawks and New York Rangers, whom he joined via pre-deadline trade.

Kane is attempting to become only the third player to return to the NHL after an invasive hip surgery, following defenseman Ed Jovanovski and center Nicklas Backstrom. Jovanovski played only 37 games after that, and Backstrom recently left the Washington Capitals 47 games into his attempt due to concerns about how his artificial left hip was holding up, making a return this season unlikely.

Tennis star Andy Murray underwent the surgery, which involves dislocating the upper end of the thighbone, trimming it, capping it, and removing cartilage before reattaching it. Kane’s expected recovery and rehab time was four to six months.

Adding Kane could provide another boost to general manager Steve Yzerman’s Red Wings, who are 11-6-3 through 20 games and currently sit third in the Atlantic Division playoff standings. Detroit is attempting to end a seven-year postseason drought, the team’s longest since the 1970s.

The hope is Kane can return to the All-Star form he displayed before the nagging hip injury began hampering his play. He had 92 points in 78 games as recently as the 2021-22 season, and his 1,237 over his career are the second-most among U.S.-born players.

It’s unclear when Kane will be cleared to play his first game for the Red Wings, though his camp’s plan since the surgery involved waiting until he was fully healthy before picking a destination.

Kane was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft and helped the Blackhawks hoist the Cup in 2010, ’13 and ’15. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2013.