The Patrick Kane saga, which has seemingly been a thing for three years now, has reached its next destination as it was reported early on Tuesday morning that he had made a decision on where he was going to play. Though rumours had included teams like Florida and Buffalo, as well as a return to the New York Rangers, he is now in Detroit:

Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery in the offseason and, according to him and his team, he's feeling like his usual self. What the truth is, well, we'll find out soon enough. Let's break down what this means.

What Detroit Gets

Even if we assume he's 100% healthy – which is an incredibly large assumption – he turned 35 years old earlier this month. There would be questions about his ability to keep pace in the league even if those health questions weren't here. Even 4-6 years ago, when he was presumably healthy and at the tail-end of his prime, the defensive issues were very relevant. He is going to a team that is in the middle of the pack by many defensive measures at 5-on-5, so it'll be hard to hide those problems. Detroit is fourth in goals per minute so far this season, though a top-3 shooting percentage has helped matters.

This seems to be done with the intention of reuniting Kane with Chicago teammate Alex DeBrincat. They were still very good offensively over DeBrincat's final three years with the Blackhawks, scoring 3.1 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. A line with those two and Dylan Larkin, if Kane/DeBrincat can find that old chemistry, would have tremendous offensive upside.

Again, though, this is all presuming Kane is healthy and can return to form. There will be an acclimation process as he gets up to speed; he likely can't play 19 minutes a night right away (if at all). It should be noted that he fit in reasonably well, quickly, in New York by posting 3.4 goals/60 minutes in his 19 regular season games. If DeBrincat/Larkin can do the work while Kane helps create more dangerous shots, this could go well. If not, or if Kane just can't find his game following the surgery, this is going to end poorly.

This is bad news for a few Detroit forwards. Lucas Raymond has presumably lost his role on the top line (whenever Kane actually gets to the lineup). Raymond has spent time on the second line already, and he'll have to do more of it; it feels very unlikely this signing was made only to not put DeBrincat-Larkin-Kane together.

It also means an additional forward added to the top PP unit. Even if DeBrincat was on the team's second PP unit recently, he should be back on the top unit with Kane in the fold. If we assume that Kane-DeBrincat-Larkin are all there, one of Raymond or Perron will be the odd-man out. The team has often used Raymond in a secondary PP role over the last two seasons, so he may well lose that ice time as well.

This signing very well could push Raymond to the second line and second PP unit, and that's a disaster fantasy-wise. We have to see how this all shakes out eventually, but it seems the most logical course. Whether Kane makes the impact they want, and how long it all lasts, is another matter.

Kane coming to town also means a lesser role, and less likelihood to move up, for guys like Daniel Sprong and Robby Fabbri.

If Kane is the Kane of 2018-19, this is a great signing for their on-ice product. If he's not, this is bad news for all their top players, fantasy-wise. It could hamper Larkin and DeBrincat if they have to carry him, and it will limit Raymond as he loses a lot of high-end offensive minutes.

Who This Helps

Alex DeBrincat

Who This Hurts

Lucas Raymond

Daniel Sprong

Robby Fabbri

Detroit Goaltending