It's been a hard offseason for Red Wings fans. The playoffs were missed and Dylan Larkin shocked the hockey world by requesting a trade before they were even finished.
With all the uncertainty around the organization before the opening of free agency, it already looked like a hard sell to the two time Stanley cup winner to come back. In the past week Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman agreed to step aside from the position, and now, Connor Bedard, who many viewed as the heir apparent to Kane as the next leader in Chicago, has re-signed on a team friendly 15 million dollar a year deal.
After the ink was dry Bedard also pitched Kane on a return to the Windy City. Chris Chelios, another former Red Wing and Blackhawks legend, reported earlier in the week that Kane's destination of choice was down to Chicago or his hometown of Buffalo with the Sabres. The Sabres just broke the NHL's longest playoff drought, and Kane's father still lives in the area as well.
Meanwhile, Chicago would represent a different kind of homecoming, as the former two time Stanley Cup champion would return to the team who drafted him first overall in 2007. The move would be poetic, joining Bedard, another Chicago first overall pick.
While with the Red Wings Kane did manage to cross the barrier for most points by a US born player in the NHL, he has not returned to the playoffs since a potentially career-threatening hip resurfacing surgery. The 37 year old likely doesn't want to be spending the final years of his career without a chance of ring chasing, and the Red Wings offseason has set them back at least two years in any timeline for that scenario.