Hawks' Kane planning to play in preseason

Maybe it's the biggest non-story of the off-season and maybe it isn't, but all that really matters when it comes to Patrick Kane's broken left wrist is that he's ready for the regular-season opener Oct. 7 at Dallas.

And there doesn't appear to be much of a chance Kane won't be in the lineup when the puck drops for real against the Stars.

Kane said Monday at Wrigley Field that he will get the splint he now wears on the wrist removed Sept. 15, which is two days before the official first day of training-camp practice.

Of the seven exhibition games the Hawks are scheduled to play, Kane would like to participate in four.

“I get the splint off the 15th, so after that I should be able to pretty much do everything,” Kane said. “I've been skating and working out, obviously, but for a while I couldn't go full equipment with the cast, so once I got that off I got into full equipment.

“You always want to be out there at practice. I always believed training camp was a big part of the year for myself to get ready for the regular season, so it's definitely something you want to use.”

Kane is allowed to take the splint off five times a day for exercises. He still is not able to shoot pucks while on the ice.

“The biggest thing is range of motion,” he said. “You don't want to take any steps backwards.”

Kane underwent surgery July 19 after aggravating a wrist problem he first suffered in the second-to-last game of the regular season at Detroit.

“From what you hear I was healing pretty fast,” Kane said. “They said I was really fast to be where I was at six weeks. I'd say right now I'm probably a little ahead of schedule, but you never really know. We're pretty much sticking to that eight-week plan and see how it goes.”

Kane threw out the first pitch at Monday's Cubs-Reds game and sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch with teammates Dave Bolland, Viktor Stalberg, Jamal Mayers and Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Mayers is one of the sandpaper guys brought in by general manager Stan Bowman since July 1 to add more grit and toughness.

Kane is all for the changes.

“Jamal is a huge man and he's jacked, to say the least,” Kane said. “Definitely with a guy like that at your side you're going to feel protected.

“They've brought in some other pieces to, obviously, with (Daniel) Carcillo, and (Sean) O'Donnell is a big, tough guy. They brought in (Andrew) Brunette with his experience.

“The way they went in free agency was good to see with some more experience and definitely a tougher team. It's good for a player like me to go out and do your thing and not worry about anything else.”

Mayers and the other new Hawks have started trickling into town to begin workouts as a group in preparation for the start of camp.

“I'm just looking forward to getting started and being around such a group that's already proven they can win,” Mayers said. “Everyone seems hungry to get back to where they were a couple years ago.”