Patrick Kane will make his Rangers debut on Thursday originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
There was some speculation that former Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane would make his New York Rangers debut on Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
But his debut is on hold for a grander stage.
Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant confirmed Kane will make his debut on Thursday night, when the Rangers return to Madison Square Garden.
And he will reunite with former teammate Artemi Panarin on a line, along with Vincent Trocheck.
Panarin also made a welcome video for Kane.
The Blackhawks traded the franchise icon on Tuesday, ending an significant and successful era of hockey in Chicago.
It was a three-team deal between Chicago, the Rangers and the Arizona Coyotes, mainly to help retain salary.
In the end the Blackhawks acquired Andy Welinski, conditional second round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (that could turn into a first if the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Final this season), a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
With the Blackhawks in a full-scale rebuild, it felt inevitable that Kane would be moved ahead of the March 3 trade deadline. He was in the final year of his contract which carried a cap hit of $10.5 million and included a full no-movement clause.
Kane will go down as perhaps the greatest player in Blackhawks history. He was drafted by Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 and went on to lead the franchise to three Stanley Cup victories while picking up a Hart and Art Ross Trophy and a Conn Smythe Trophy along the way.
Kane ranks second in franchise history with 1,225 points, behind only Stan Mikita (1,467). It’s only a matter of time before Kane’s No. 88 is raised to the rafters and a statue is unveiled outside the United Center.
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