Kane's homecoming is a nice story, but the Blackhawks need him to be better

Ever since former Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane announced his decision to return to Chicago this summer, the homecoming storylines have been writing themselves. The nostaglia is strong with this signing.

After all, Kane was one of the key pieces of the Blackhawks' 2010s dynasty when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009-10, 2012-13, and 2014-15. Bringing back this Hawks icon would always be exciting.

However, as nice as the homecoming storylines are, there's one thing that Kane hasn't found again in Chicago: his ability to score.

Kane's fairytale home coming

After stints with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, Kane has finally returned home to Chicago. Much has been made of this homecoming so far, especially when Kane finally hit the ice at the United Center again. Former teammate Jonathan Toews was at the United Center for Kane's return, despite not playing for the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks helped write the rest of the perfect homecoming story by defeating the St. Louis Blues 4-2, earning their first win of the season, in Kane's first game back at the United Center. After the game, Kane reminisced about his time with Toews as rookies in Chicago, while they are now both nearing the end of their careers, with Toews retiring last season.

Despite all of the feel-good stories of Kane returning to Chicago, all of the Blackhawks brass, and Kane himself, have stressed how the real story will come from Kane helping the Blackhawks to find their way back to the playoffs. But now, nine games into the season, the playoff dream seems pretty far away. And if Kane wants to help them find their way again, he's going to need to be a lot more impactful on the score sheet.

Kane's contributions so far in 2026-27

While Kane has said he's settling in well in his return to Chicago; getting to know his linemates and find his place in the lineup again, the Blackhawks haven't had a lot to celebrate so far this season. With nine games under their belts, the 2026-27 Chicago Blackhawks find themselves last in the Central Division with a 3-6-0 record.

There are a lot of things that Kane has brought to the team so far to help them move in the right direction. He's been helping his younger linemates to find their stride, and in turn, they are contributing more to the Blackhawks.

Kane has also been logging some good ice time, especially given his age. His average time on ice is the second-highest among Hawks forwards, behind only Connor Bedard. As expected, he's also seen time on the power play, despite not contributing any points with the extra man.

All of this is great for the Blackhawks, but they are still waiting on one key thing from Kane: his ability to score.

Kane struggling on the scoresheet

What the Blackhawks really need from Patrick Kane is some goals. Nine games into his return, Kane has just one goal and four assists. He's been held scoreless on the power play despite his place on the first unit. Bedard, who also has only one goal, has only played three games this season.

With the Blackhawks having been shutout in two of the nine games, it's not just the 37-year-old who can't score. However, a huge reason for the Blackhawks to bring Kane back, aside from the lovely story of it all, was his ability to put the puck in the net. The last time that Kane played a full season, he had 27 goals and put up 76 points. That's pretty high expectations, seeing as that was nearly 10 years ago.

However, the Blackhawks would definitely be happy to see Kane get closer to last season's total of 57 points in 67 games.

The nostalgia is nice, but the longer Kane goes without putting more pucks in the net, the less the nice headlines will matter.

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