The Detroit Red Wings square off against Patrick Kane tonight for the first time since his return to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup, with the veteran winger now back with the team that took him no. 1 overall in the 2007 draft.

Former general manager Steve Yzerman brought Kane in as one of the pieces to help push the Red Wings roster over the edge bring the team back into the playoff dance. However, in his two and a half year tenure in Detroit the Red Wings were unable to get out of their own way to make the postseason.

Kane’s incredible hockey acumen didn’t end up being the difference in the Red Wings playoff drought, though he was able to celebrate a few personal achievements in his time in Hockeytown, including his 500th regular season goal and overtaking Mike Modano for most points by an American-born player in NHL history. After a tumultuous offseason in Detroit, no. 88 decided to sign back in Chicago after a 189 game stint with the Red Wings.

Kane no longer a Detroit (head)liner

Still, Kane’s presence on the roster for a lot of young players is in some ways, irreplaceable. After all, for many, he was on the career as they moved from being the young bucks to some of the team’s leaders.

“He provided us with a lot of leadership, a lot of charisma in big moments, and he’s somebody who wasn’t afraid to speak up and do the right things over and over.” Mo Seider said.

The last matchup with the pair on opposing sides was just over four years ago, in Chicago’s 4-3 overtime victory at home. Missing from the Blackhawks lineup that night after an offseason trade landed him in Ottawa was Alex DeBrincat, whom Chicago drafted in 2016 to play on the opposite wing with Kane.

Kane would rejoin DeBrincat in Detroit in 2023, with the pair becoming a staple of Detroit’s second line and their most effective five-on-five producers during Kane’s time in Detroit. The Red Wings have been able to somewhat replace Kane’s on-ice production with the aggregate of others, but there’s no way to replace the invaluable parts of his leadership that came without much equipment on.

“The other impact that you wouldn’t have seen but we did was on the plane or on the bus or at practice walking out with different types of players, telling stories about their success, having his little guy run around the locker room, that brought energy.” Todd McLellan said.

Showtime’s impact on the players on Detroit’s roster will be felt for years to come, but the students will be looking to overshadow the master with Detroit just two games away from ending October with a .500 record.