DETROIT >> There was ominous tone from Patrick Kane regarding his future during last year’s Red Wings’ breakup day.

Kane had signed a prorated one-year contract last season, played well and showed no adverse signs of hip resurfacing surgery, but talked hesitantly about his future with the Wings. The prevailing thought was, there was likely no future with the Wings.

But the two sides ultimately agreed on a bonus-laden one-year contract ($4 million base, and earned $1.75 million in bonuses), which Kane, 36, again performed to and earned in every aspect.

With the Wings again not in the playoffs, Saturday’s end-of-season media session had an entirely different tone. Kane talked optimistically, raved about the organization, and was keen on the Wings’ future.

Kane and the Wings working out a new, short-term contract didn’t seem like an “if” — more like a “when.”

“I’ve really enjoyed my time here and it’s been a great place for me to continue my career,” Kane said. “There’s definitely some mutual interest in coming back.”

That’s not surprising, considering Kane’s offensive production, the way he’s used by the coaching staff and the veteran leadership he provides.

Kane had 21 goals and 38 assists (59 points) in 72 games, including 12 goals and 29 points on the power play, a key ingredient on the Wings’ fourth-ranked unit. Kane also particularly flourished after Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde as head coach on Dec. 27.

Kane had 16 goals and 29 assists — 45 points in 43 games — with McLellan behind the bench, adapting seamlessly to McLellan’s more aggressive offensive approach. (In 29 games with Lalonde, Kane had five goals nine assists.)

“With my age, and the one-year bonuses and kind of working that contract, it worked well for both sides,” Kane said Saturday. “I don’t know if that’s something we look at again, or we’ll see how it all works out, but those are discussions that still have to be had.”

Two consecutive near misses on the postseason are painful. But Kane remains bullish on the Wings’ future.

Playing on a line with Marco Kasper (along with longtime linemate Alex DeBrincat), Kane saw up close one of the Wings’ exciting young players in Kasper. Simon Edvinsson and Elmer Soderblom, among others, were also impressive and should continue to expand their games. Kane is optimistic the Wings can close the gap and get into the playoffs, with the talent on hand.

“We’re closer than we were last year, even though we finished with more points last year,” Kane said.

Having played in McLellan’s system, being fully versed in it, would appear to check off boxes of what Kane is looking for.

“Familiarity, playing within the system, understanding how he coaches, playing with a lot of guys in the room, my role on the team, role on the power play,” Kane said. “That’s all a lot of positive stuff that I experienced over the last little while.”

Kane passed the 1,300-game milestone this season and is only eight goals from 500 (492). He has 851 assists and is within striking distance of 1,400 points (he has 1,343). Kane acknowledged Saturday it would be “cool” to get to 1,500 games. But after the hip surgery and not knowing what the long-term future holds, Kane isn’t taking anything for granted.

Make no mistake, though. Kane lives and breathes the game.

“I still love the game; it’s my life,” Kane said. “It’s what I want to do, what I think about every day. Whether it’s how I take care of my body, how I take care of myself, what I want to do this summer, how I want to train, what I want to look like on the ice next year. The game-to-game preparation, I love all that stuff and I’m not thinking about stopping anytime soon.”

“That’s (1,500 games) definitely possible. But with everything that’s gone on it’s probably something that I just look at year after year and see where I’m at.”

Then, there’s Kane’s son Patrick III, or “Trick.”

In Kane’s time with the Wings, Trick has made friends with other Wings’ sons, notably Archie, DeBrincat’s son. Trick has grown fond of the Wings and his little buddies, and don’t underestimate the importance of that around the Kane household.

“Imagine if I took him away from Archie, he’d be crushed,” Kane said. “That’s an important part of it, just the ability for him to come down and give the players knucks after warmups, the way they take care of the kids here, the friendships he’s made is important.”