Patrick Kane excited to develop chemistry with young Blackhawks as training camp begins

The Chicago Blackhawks opened training camp with three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane back on the roster, bolstering their own hopes of returning to the postseason.

For Kane and the Blackhawks, it was the first practice of what is a shortened training camp, due to a new schedule this season.

Kane's return was the big story of this offseason for the Blackhawks, after signing a two-year, $16 million contract in July.

Kane, 37, was one of Chicago's biggest stars during the best stretch in franchise history, winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. The Blackhawks also made it to the Western Conference Final in 2014, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in an epic seven-game series.

The Blackhawks traded Kane to the New York Rangers in 2023, after failing to make it past the first round of the playoffs of missing the postseason entirely every year after their third Stanley Cup title in six years in 2015.

Kane played 19 games with the Rangers at the end of the 2022-23 season, then played three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before returning to the Blackhawks.

For Kane, being back feels a little like he never left, while also realizing he spent 3 ½ seasons elsewhere.

"You know, a lot of it is so familiar in a lot of ways, and then you get out there on the ice, and you look at all the players out there, and everyone's completely different, right? So different coaches, different players," he said. "Almost more, I don't want to say anxiety, but just excitement to get going, develop chemistry, and learn how your teammates play our system, things like that."

Kane and the Hawks open the regular season on Sept. 29 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.

Under the new NHL bargaining agreement, the regular season is expanding from 82 to 84 games, with a shorter preseason – only 12 days for training camp, with only four preseason games.

The Blackhawks haven't reached the playoffs since 2017, and haven't won more than 36 games in a season during that time, but hope adding Kane to a young roster centered around 21-year-old superstar and new captain Connor Bedard can help them get back to the postseason.