After signing Patrick Kane, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde preaches patience ahead of his forthcoming debut.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of the glory days as the Detroit Red Wings welcomed a distinguished future Hall of Famer to their

team. The recent signing of three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane to a one-year deal has ignited excitement among fans,

and he’ll be donning the Winged Wheel for the first time in short order. And in the words of head coach Derek Lalonde, Kane

is ‘probably a ways away’ from making a deep impact.

Patrick Kane is the newest Red Wings forward

Kane was selected as the 1st overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2007 NHL Draft. He played a pivotal role in each of

Chicago’s three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Widely regarded as one of the greatest American-born NHL

players, Kane has left an indelible mark in the league’s history.

Derek Lalonde preaches patience ahead of Kane’s debut

It remains to be seen exactly how Kane will be utilized with the Red Wings, according to Lalonde.

“Obviously you’re thinking about it, you have a plan, you have a bit of a vision, but we’re probably a ways away from that,” Lalonde said.

“It’s certainly not ideal,” Lalonde said of Detroit’s tightly-packed schedule and limited practice time, “but we’ll find ways to start

implementing him in and get some bodies on him.”

Considering Kane’s return from hip resurfacing surgery, the wise approach would be to afford him the necessary time to adapt to his

new team instead of hastening his return to action.

“That’s why I think everyone has to give him a little time,” Lalonde said. “Let’s give it a few days, get him implemented, get

acclimated a little bit, there’s no rush on it by any means. Let’s get there.