Red Wings’ Patrick Kane set to return to lineup following five-game absence

The Detroit Red Wings have announced that veteran right winger Patrick Kane will return to the lineup Thursday versus the Ottawa Senators following a five-game absence.

The 36-year-old Kane has been sidelined since late November due to an upper-body injury. On the season, Kane sits seventh in Red Wings’ scoring with 10 points counting three goals and seven assists coming in 20 contests.

Kane is skating in his second season with the Red Wings after signing with the club last November as an unrestricted free agent. In June, the Buffalo, N.Y., native agreed to a one-year extension that carries a $4-million annual average value, per PuckPedia.

Prior to his injury, Kane was in the midst of a five-game pointless drought, with his last time making the scoresheet coming in a 3-2 overtime win versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-November in which he scored his third goal of the season before adding a secondary assist on Simon Edvinsson’s game-winning tally.

A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, Kane’s decorated career has counted 1,250 contests in which he has has registered 474 goals and 820 assists for 1,294 points in stops with the Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Red Wings. Among his other accolades, Kane claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 2013 playoff MVP after putting 19 points in 23 postseason appearances to help the Blackhawks capture their second Stanley Cup championship in four years.

With Kane’s return to the Red Wings’ lineup, head coach Derek Lalonde has elected to scratch center Joe Veleno. Through 22 appearances in 2024-25, the Montreal, Que., native has recorded one goal and one assist.

Following back-to-back overtime losses to the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins, the Red Wings will look to return to the win column Thursday versus the Senators. On the season, Detroit stands 10-11-4 and three points back of the second wildcard position in the Eastern Conference.