When the New York Rangers traded for Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane openly admitted that he did not like it. Like many, Kane probably believed that Tarasenko’s trade made his move to the Rangers impossible.
Time will tell if the Rangers can find a way to fit all the pieces together, but multiple reports indicate the veteran winger has narrow views of Broadway and New York could really cram him in.
More and more like Rangers or bust for Kane, which would be better than nothing for the Chicago Blackhawks. Kane’s full no-move clause is one of the key factors complicating this situation; he can make the Rangers the only option, or refuse the deal altogether.
According to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun, New York will beat Kane in Saturday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
Another complicating factor is the net worth of Kane’s final season on the contract. His current cap is $10.5 million. While that number is decreasing day by day as the trading deadline on Friday, March 3 approaches, it still requires gymnastics from a Rangers team that is already getting closer to the salary cap cap.
We’ve been seeing some serious payroll deductions in big deals lately, and it’s definitely necessary to keep Kane’s move working in New York. Numerous reports indicate that 1) the Blackhawks should withhold wages (probably 50 percent) and 2) a third party should withhold more (probably 25 percent).
The Rangers’ recent healthy trade-related scratches indicate two players are likely to travel to Chicago to make it work: Vitaly Kravtsov and Jake Leshchishin. Scott Powers and Arthur Staple of The Athletic broke how money can work by pointing out that they can reach the wire.
The Blackhawks would need to keep 50 percent and the third team would need to keep another half of the remaining half to bring it down to a manageable $2.625 million. The Rangers will then have to send Vitaly Kravtsov ($875,000) and Jake Leshchyshyn ($766,667), now giving them about $2.4 million in the ceiling. If the Rangers wait until March 3, the day of the deadline, they could get all of the $2.625 million there. Hardly”.
Note that even this breakdown included the word “maybe” when referring to the post-holding investment of about $2.625 million in Kane. It is reported by Elliott Friedman of Sportsnet. that the Rangers were “going to a conclusion” with this move, making sure that “no detail was left out”.
All in all, it sounds at least plausible, but it’s fair to wonder how the Rangers can really recoup Chicago’s time, even if it’s Kane’s only trade option. Kravtsov, 23, was selected ninth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft but failed to establish himself at the NHL level. His scoring has been modest (10 points in 48 games over the past two seasons) and Kravtsov has indeed seen his average ice time drop from 12:24 per game in 2021-22 to just 11:25 per night this season. .
While the Rangers traded their first-round pick for Tarasenko, they have a first-round pick with the Dallas Stars thanks to the trade of Nils Lundqvist last offseason. Will the Blackhawks be able to shake it off, or will the Rangers force them to settle for less as Kane’s only destination?
Making money work is the biggest hurdle to overcome. After the breakdown, it’s easy to see why this is such a difficult trade, but the Blackhawks would be better off getting something for Kane (especially since they can’t move Jonathan Toews).
Source: sports.yahoo.com
