For months, this was the move that many had been anticipating. The New York Rangers and Blackhawks right-winger Patrick Kane have had mutual interest but both sides knew that a lot of work would be needed for a deal to happen.
That deal has now come to fruition.
The Rangers officially acquired the three-time Stanley Cup winner from Chicago as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Arizona Coyotes. Cooper Zech will also head to New York as part of the deal, while the Rangers send Andy Welinski, a conditional second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Blackhawks will also retain 75% of Kane’s contract, while the Coyotes will retain 25% of Kane’s contract and get a 2025 conditional third-round pick.
The trade had first been reported by the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on Tuesday afternoon and wasn’t officially announced until later that night.
The conditional 2023 second-rounder becomes a first-round pick in 2024, which would be top-10 protected or a 2025 first if the Rangers win two playoff rounds this season.
The four-time All-Star rejoins former teammate Artemi Panarin — the two played together for two seasons while with the Blackhawks. In 54 games this season, the 34-year-old has totaled 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points. In his last five games, the former he’s totaled 10 points alone.
Following the trade for Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, there was doubt that the Rangers would be able to acquire a player of Kane’s talent. The New York native even went so far as to voice his frustration that he had not been the one to be moved.
That has since gone away with the Rangers making another major trade to bolster their offense in their quest for a Stanley Cup championship.
In preparation for the move — and to fit under the tight constraints the team is currently under — the Rangers announced that they placed Jake Leschyshyn on waivers. They also shipped Vitali Kravtsov to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round pick to open up the necessary cap space for Kravtsov. Finally, the team sent down Braden Schneider to Hartford in order to clear enough cap space for the Kane contract.
As early as Saturday afternoon, Kane was reportedly no longer with the team and had gone home.
Kane had played all 1,161 games of his NHL career with the Blackhawks and scored 446 goals and 1,225 points during his span there. He helped lead Chicago to three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
In a social media post shortly after the trade was officially announced, Kane thanked the fans in Chicago for their support over the years.
“There simply are no words to express my family’s love and appreciation for the Blackhawks organization, my teammates, this city and the greatest fans in the world welcoming me here since being drafted in 2007,” Kane said in the post. “Thank you for giving me a chance and supporting me like your own through 1,297 games played in the most iconic sweater, including 3 Stanley Cups and thousands of memories to last a lifetime.”
