Rumors of Patrick Kane to Rangers swirl
Trading for Vladimir Tarasenko looked to be the New York Rangers’ big move in their attempt to take a big stride in becoming a Stanley Cup contender. With the NHL trade deadline now less than a full week away, players are waiting for the next skate to drop on another seismic acquisition.
Speculation about the Rangers acquiring three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks has been building.
And while agent Pat Brisson said Friday there’s nothing new on Kane’s status, the prospect of adding more talent for a deep playoff run is causing a mix of distraction and excitement around the Rangers.
“You hear stuff, but you just try to focus on the team and the game and what we got going on each day,” defenseman Ryan Lindgren said.
Even if some of the external chatter is seeping into New York’s play — like a 4-1 loss at Detroit on Thursday night — trading for players sure beats selling at the deadline like the team had done in previous years before making the playoffs last season.
The Rangers shifted into win-soon mode in the spring of 2021. They signed gritty winger Barclay Goodrow and made other moves to inch closer to contention. They acquired a handful of players at the deadline last year and are in that same sort of spot now, giving general manager Chris Drury more reason to trade picks and prospects for immediate help.
The Rangers sent a 2023 firstround pick, a conditional 2024 fourth, depth forward Sammy Blais and minor leaguer Hunter Skinner to St. Louis for Tarasenko on Feb. 9. But they still have another first-rounder this year thanks to a trade last summer with Dallas and — with some help — maybe just enough salary cap space to also add Kane.
As Hart Levine of Puckpedia, a site that tracks NHL contracts, points out: New York would need to clear forwards Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn off the roster to fit Kane in, as long as a third team is willing to get involved to make the money work. Not coincidentally, the Rangers scratched Kravtsov and Leschyshyn on Thursday for “roster management.”