When Patrick Kane went in for surgery on his left wrist last month the plan for him was to rehab for 6-8 weeks and get back to action by the time training camp rolled around. Of course, training camp is now just a few weeks away and Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman had an update on what’s going on with Kane as time ticks away until camp begins in mid-September.
While Chicago’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs against Vancouver after nearly coming back from being down 3-0 in the series, a healthy and rejuvenated Blackhawks team shapes up to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference and a threat to get back to the Stanley Cup finals. Having Patrick Kane at 100% would go a long way towards getting off on the right foot to start the season.
CSNChicago.com’s Tracey Myers spoke with Bowman and got a very positive status check on Kane.Patrick Kane is “doing great, right on schedule” after having left wrist surgery last month, Bowman said on Monday. Bowman said they’ll check on Kane as training camp nears, but so far so good.
“He’s feeling good and he’s still able to do a lot of the cardio-type stuff,” Bowman said. “He’s staying in shape; he’s excited.”
Kane’s been excited all summer about the upcoming season, especially with the added toughness the team brought on board in free agency. With guys like Steve Montador, Jamal Mayers, and Dan Carcillo they’re certainly going to have more of a nasty edge to their game. For guys like Kane, newly extended scorer Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, and Jonathan Toews having that extra snarl to the team’s game should bode well for them in the postseason.
While the Blackhawks needed a bit of good luck in making the playoffs last season, this season they’re already shaping up to be a critical favorite in the Western Conference. Kane’s importance to the Blackhawks can’t be understated. In 73 games last season, Kane had 73 points (27 goals, 46 assists) and finished second on the team in points behind Toews. Being a point per game player in the NHL is a big deal and making sure he can play every game will keep the Blackhawks atop people’s prediction lists for the upcoming season.