Rangers acquire Patrick Kane from Blackhawks for multiple draft picks: Source

By Arthur Staple, Mark Lazarus, and Scott Powers

The New York Rangers are acquiring forward Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks for a conditional second-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2023, a source close to Kane says. Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:

• According to ESPN, a second-round pick could become a first-round pick in 2024 or 2025 if the Rangers make the conference finals.
• Kane, 34, has 16 goals and 29 assists in 54 games this season.
• He played his 16-year career in Chicago, totaling 1,161 games, 446 goals and 779 assists.
• The Rangers are 34-17-19 and third in the Metro Division, while the Blackhawks are 21-33-5 and last in the Central Division.

Backstory

The Patrick Kane trade saga finally seemed to reach its conclusion on Tuesday afternoon, with the star forward headed to New York after the Rangers made several cap-clearing moves over the past few days. On Saturday, the Rangers traded Vitaly Kravtsov to Vancouver and waived Jake Leskyshyn. In Sunday’s 5-2 win over LA, the team sat out defenseman Braden Schneider — who was sent down to the AHL after the game — and forward Ryan Carpenter.

Kane’s apparent disappointment in the Rangers’ trade for Vladimir Tarasenko — more than three weeks before the March 3 trade deadline — is a clear signal that the Blackhawks’ star is seriously considering waiving his no-movement clause and leaving Chicago. Last weekend, he left the team’s road trip amid trade speculation.

Kane spent his 16-year career with Chicago after the team selected him No. 1 overall in the 2007 NHL Draft.

How did the Rangers get here?

The trade everyone knew was coming finally happened and Kane will make his Rangers debut in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Rangers GM Chris Drury changed his roster to fit cap requirements, and he didn’t give up an outright first-round pick — the 2023 second term in the deal would become 2024 or 2025 if the Rangers clinch the Eastern Conference. Again – The Rangers are getting a highly motivated star player who has been telling people he wants to reunite with Artemi Panarin since Panarin signed with the Rangers four years ago.

A source close to Kane said he waived his no-trade clause to facilitate Sunday’s deal. The Rangers now have 22 games left in the regular season. — Mainly

What does Kane keep in the tank?

At 34, Kane has spent most of this season mired in the worst campaign of his career. But the tanking clearly weighed on him, and he played alongside the likes of Max Tomi, Andreas Athanasio, Jason Dickinson and Filip Kurashev. Determined to go out strong, Kane reminded everyone just how good he can be – he posted 92 points with 66 assists last season – and has gone on an absolute tear with seven goals and three assists in his last four games. Games like Blackhawk.

Kane’s game doesn’t project speed or power, but rather switching, creativity and some of the best vision of his generation. He’s a setup wizard, but he also has the ability to finish off death, perennially outperforming his metrics. The last time he played alongside Panarin, he was the league MVP. There’s a lot in the tank. — Lazarus

What does this mean for the Blackhawks?

For one thing, it’s the end of an era. Kane was the No. 1 overall pick by the Blackhawks in 2007 and was arguably their most important player. He ranks third in games played (1,161), third in goals (446), second in assists (779) and second in points (1,225). More than that, he came in when the games mattered most and helped the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups. In 136 playoff games, he scored 132 points, including 52 goals and 80 assists. He is undoubtedly his number. Will retire at 88 and will have a statue one day.

From a trade standpoint, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has to be disappointed. The Blackhawks were always going to get Kane right, but they believed moving Kane would be a situation where they could bring back a respectable package. Ideally, they would have wanted a first-round pick and a quality prospect. In Kane, who waited to make a decision until he had made a decision, then left the Blackhawks with only one team to negotiate with, Davidson lost his leverage. He was in a corner and Rangers knew it. — Powers

Required reading

(Photo: Jerome Miron/USA Today)