I don't want Patrick Kane (Well I do but not really)

Photo Credit NHL

As the offseason continues rumors begin to circle the league. Big names are getting traded. Big names are getting signed in free agency. And superstars are on the move. This year is no different as many big names have been in the news and on the block. From Johnny Gaudreau being rumored to leave Calgary for a big payday, Alex Debrincat traded to Ottawa, and Kevin Fiala traded to the Kings. Many moves have already happened and more are still to come.

As a fan of the New York Rangers, I am looking intently at the center market as the rangers have a large hole at the second-line center position seeing as they probably will not sign Andrew Copp or Ryan Strome this summer.

Will they make a trade for someone like Pierre Luc Dubois who fits their timetable of young talent and is going to be a relatively cheap option? Or do they trade for an established star such as Travis Konecny from the Philadelphia Flyers? Or even Adam Henrique from the Ducks. Or do they go the route of signing a player? There are a few good options in free agency for the Rangers to venture down. Perhaps a Vincent Trocheck or Paul Stastny signing to bridge the gap from now to the future.

Here’s the thing. The focus of management is on that second-line center position as it should be. Although of course fans always want to think big and be optimistic…whether it is good or bad. One of these examples is many fans believing that we can and will get Patrick Kane.

Let me be absolutely clear. I do not believe the Rangers get Patrick Kane. I think it is a dumb move and you’re living in the clouds if you believe that the Rangers will be getting him.

Patrick Kane is a franchise-level player and will not be traded for anything cheap. Although many Rangers fans seem to think that all it will cost is Defensive prospect Nils Lundkvist and a first-round pick.

No this isn’t future Hall of Fame goalie Henrik Lundqvist. This is young defenseman Nils Lundkvist. Although you might think he’s Bobby Orr with some of the trades that have been mocked up for Patty Kane.

So here’s the real reason why I don’t think we get Patty Kane, and why personally I don’t want Patty Kane. Well obviously I want him but…wanting something and actually needing something are two different things.

The first reason is the cap hit, he will be making 10.5 million next year and there is no guarantee that Chicago will retain the 50% max for him to fit under the Rangers cap. Also, there will be other teams who can trade for him and can take on more cap than the Rangers are able to which would be a better deal for Chicago.

The second reason is the price will be WAY WAY WAY too much. People seem to forget that Patrick Kane is one of if not the greatest American-born player of all time. Even as he gets older he’s proven he can still produce and compete. Patrick Kane has been a point-per-game player for almost every season of his career. On some really really bad Chicago teams, he has been an absolute monster. The Blackhawks have not truly made the playoffs since 2017 and they got swept in the first round. The other year was the Covid shortened bubble season and they didn’t even make it out of the qualifiers.

Despite this Patrick Kane still is putting up numbers that are jaw-dropping. From that 2016-2017 season to now he was a point per game in every year except for one, where he missed it by only 10 points. He also hosted a 110-point season and this past season a 92-point season.

Patrick Kane is still Patrick Kane. This means the price for him is still absurdly high. Not just a prospect and a pick.

The Blackhawks at a very minimum are going to want one of Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, or Alexis Lafreniere. Personally, I don’t want to trade away any of our three most promising young stars for one year of Patrick Kane.

The last two reasons are kind of one and the same. The first is that it is only ONE YEAR of Patrick Kane. Which is not what we need right now. If we are trading for a player then it should be cap controlled. Not one year of a guy who we can’t afford later on down the road.

The other reason goes along with it because it is something else we don’t need. What is it you may ask? Well, it’s another winger. Unless something magically changed overnight Patrick Kane plays wing. Not center. Also, last I checked the Rangers desperately need a second-line center. Patrick Kane is not a center. So why would we give up the future for him?

I know the chemistry between him and Panarin is undeniable. The friendship they have is strong and yes they’d probably be the same one-two punch they were in Chicago.

Even with all of that Patrick Kane does not address our needs. He is just another big name that fans want to see in the blue and red. I don’t want to because of the repercussions it will have on the future.

Nils Lundkvist and a first-round pick do not get the deal done. Therefore sadly the Rangers will not be getting the big fish in Patrick Kane. And to be honest he really shouldn’t even be on our list.

Center is the priority this summer not winger. Patrick Kane will not be a New York Ranger. And I am sure happy that he won't be.