Jonathan Toews' jealousy over Patrick Kane's signing could lead to a Chicago reunion

Patrick Kane is heading back to the Chicago Blackhawks, agreeing Thursday to a two-year deal worth $8 million per season.

The contract includes a full no-move clause, according to the team.

It closes a loop that started at the 2023 trade deadline, when Chicago moved on from Kane in the middle of a full teardown.

General manager Kyle Davidson made it clear back then that the rebuild wouldn't include Kane or Jonathan Toews. He wanted new voices running that room.

Kane didn't sit around waiting for an invitation. He chased contention in New York, then in Detroit, still hunting one more real shot at a Cup.

Now the fit looks different. Chicago is further along in its rebuild, and Kane, who turns 38 in November, is further along in his own timeline too.

Davidson didn't hide his excitement, saying Kane "captivated the city of Chicago with his dazzling skill" across 16 seasons and helped bring the franchise back to the top of the sport.

Bedard's reaction shows what Kane's return could unlock

Connor Bedard has been asked about this for months, and Monday he didn't hold back. "Hopefully he decides to come back and we can play together, for sure," Bedard said.

Bedard just wrapped a season with 75 points on 30 goals and 45 assists across 69 games, but he cooled off hard down the stretch with 8 points over his last 10.

Kane still ranks second in franchise assists (779) and points (1,225), and third in franchise goals (446) and games played (1,161). Those numbers only grow from here.

Toews, who retired after last season in Winnipeg, texted his reaction Thursday. "As happy as I am for him I told him I'm straight-up jealous," Toews said. Is he coming back too?

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Here's the strange part. Kane never really left Chicago at all. He's trained at the Blackhawks Ice Center every offseason for a decade and even keeps his own stall in the locker room during the summer.

But the roster he's rejoining barely resembles the one he left. Only Alex Vlasic, Teuvo Teravainen and Arvid Soderblom played alongside him in his first stint with the Blackhawks.

Chicago finished last season 29-39-14, ranked 31st overall in the league, still very much a team searching for its footing.

Bringing back a 37-year-old coming off hip-resurfacing surgery on a multiyear deal is a real gamble for a franchise that isn't finished building. It's a nice story before it's anything else.

It's a bit like reuniting a band for one last tour before the opening act even has an album out. Fans will love the nostalgia. Whether it moves the standings is another question entirely.

Kane's game was never about speed anyway. It was always about anticipation, vision and that singular creativity every kid in that Blackhawks room grew up trying to copy.

Whether that's still enough at 38, on a rebuilding roster still finding its identity, is the part nobody can answer yet.

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