Patrick Kane's exit makes Dylan Larkin's Red Wings problem even worse

Patrick Kane is going home. Dylan Larkin would still prefer to leave his.

Kane signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, returning to the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2007. It is a tidy ending for one of the greatest players in team history.

For Detroit, it is anything but tidy.

Kane’s departure leaves the Red Wings without a player who recorded 57 points last season. More awkwardly, it comes while Larkin’s trade request continues to hang over an organization that has missed the playoffs for 10 straight years.

One player chose to leave. The other has already asked for permission.

That is a rough offseason theme.

Patrick Kane had reasons to stay in Detroit

Nobody should be surprised that Kane returned to Chicago. He won three Stanley Cups there, remains beloved by the fan base and now has a chance to play with Connor Bedard once the young center returns from shoulder surgery.

It is still fair to wonder why Detroit could not keep him.

Kane said in April there was mutual interest in another contract with the Red Wings. He had settled into the area, enjoyed playing for the organization and remained productive. Although he was no longer the player who once took over postseason games, 16 goals and 41 assists from a 37-year-old winger were hardly scraps.

Then free agency arrived, and Kane went back to a Blackhawks team that finished below Detroit last season.

The pull of Chicago surely drove the decision. Even so, it is not a flattering result for the Red Wings. Kane was willing to join another rebuild rather than remain attached to theirs.

Detroit signed Viktor Arvidsson after he scored 25 goals last season, so the front office did not ignore the vacancy. Arvidsson should help. He also cannot erase the feeling that Detroit continues to change pieces without ever changing its destination.

Every spring ends the same way.

Dylan Larkin is tired of waiting

Larkin has lived through all 10 years of Detroit’s playoff drought. He has remained with the Red Wings through coaching changes, failed rebuilds and enough “next steps” to circle Little Caesars Arena.

Now he wants out.

The 29-year-old reportedly gave Detroit a three-team list containing the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights. Those destinations are revealing. Larkin is not searching for a different rebuild. He wants an opportunity to win while he is still near the height of his career.

Former Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman acknowledged the request but offered no guarantee that a trade will happen prior to him leaving his position as GM last week. Larkin’s full no-trade clause gives him control over the destination. His short list gives Detroit very little leverage in negotiations.

Keeping Larkin is possible. Repairing the relationship may be harder.

The Red Wings can tell their captain that help is coming, but he has heard versions of that pitch before. Kane’s departure becomes another piece of evidence working against it.

Detroit needs results, not another promise

Kane’s return to Chicago is primarily about history. For the Red Wings, it becomes part of a problem.

Detroit lost a productive veteran while its captain is trying to find the exit. Neither development suggests confidence in the team’s immediate direction.

The new Red Wings general manager could solve much of this by building a winner. That is the obvious answer, though Detroit has spent a decade proving that obvious and easy are very different things.

Kane found his way home.

Unless the Red Wings finally reach the playoffs, Larkin may keep looking for his way out.