The Rangers are acquiring Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks in a blockbuster trade. In exchange, New York will send a conditional second-round draft pick and fourth-round pick in 2023 to Chicago, per multiple reports.
The second-round pick turns into a first-rounder if the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final this season. However, the pick would then be in 2024 or 2025. In addition, the Rangers will send a third-round pick in 2025 to the Arizona Coyotes for brokering the deal, per Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet.
New York trading for Kane had been viewed as a formality in recent days, with only salary cap machinations left to figure out. Kane to the Rangers should be official by Tuesday night, with him possibly making his debut on Wednesday against the Flyers in Philadelphia.
Chicago was in a tough spot with Kane since he had expressed a desire to go to the Rangers and controlled the situation due to a full no-trade clause.
The Rangers paved the way for Kane by — among other moves — trading Vitali Kravtsov to clear cap space.
The 34-year-old star had long expressed his desire to join former teammate Artemi Panarin in the Big Apple. The pair played together on the same line in Chicago from 2015-17. They showed tremendous chemistry and helped the Blackhawks take home the Stanley Cup in 2015.
Kane, a restricted free agent at the end of the season, had picked things up lately while playing for the lowly Blackhawks. He now has 16 goals and 29 assists through 54 games this season.
Over his 16-year NHL career, Kane helped lead Chicago to three Stanley Cup titles, earned four All-Star appearances, and won the MVP award during the 2015-2016 season. He’s amassed 1,225 career points with 446 goals and 779 assists, including a career-high 110 points in the 2018-2019 season.
The Rangers, clearly in win-now mode, have solidified their lineup from top-to-bottom with the additions of Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola, and Tyler Motte for the stretch run.
