Patrick Kane is a Ranger and he's ready to make another run at the Stanley Cup
Patrick Kane speaks to the media for the first time as a member of the New York Rangers on Thursday. Credit: Newsday/Colin Stephenson
Three weeks ago, when the Rangers made the trade to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, Patrick Kane was none too happy, and he let his disappointment be known in his comments to the media.
Thursday afternoon, as he sat behind a table in the news conference room at Madison Square Garden, giving his first remarks since he joined Tarasenko on the Rangers’ roster late Tuesday night, he felt a little differently.
“When they made the move for Tarasenko . . . it didn't seem like it was in the cards [that a trade to the Rangers would] still be an option for me,’’ Kane said, a wide grin starting to spread across his face. “So now obviously, I'm very happy they made that move [to get Tarasenko], and both of us are here."
On Thursday night, after more than a week of maneuvering to clear enough room under the salary cap to get him, Kane made his Rangers debut when the Blueshirts hosted the Ottawa Senators at the Garden. He skated on a line with his old Chicago linemate Artemi Panarin and center Vincent Trocheck and was present on the Rangers’ first power play line.
“I mean, he played with ‘Bread’ [Panarin] before,’’ coach Gerard Gallant said. “The system doesn't change around the league a whole lot, so we just kind of go out and play, and have fun.’’
It had to be fun for Kane to get a rousing ovation when he emerged during pregame warmups. If he had time to check the Garden gift shops, he would have found “Kane 88” jerseys flying off the racks as quickly as staffers could stock them.
After Chris Kreider gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded breakaway goal at 6:31 of the first period, Kane had his first moment of impact. He fed Panarin for a good look, but Panarin was turned away by Cam Talbot.
Kane and Co. got some more excellent chances during a five-minute power play later in the first after Ottawa’s Austin Watson was given a game misconduct for charging Tyler Motte and hitting him in the head with his shoulder and elbow. Motte did not return with what the Rangers called an upper-body injury.
Talbot stopped every shot on the lengthy power play. But it was a fun five minutes full of energy for the home crowd.
Kane looked more eager to pass than shoot. One time, during the five-minute power play, he had the puck and the crowd was yelling “Shoot!” But Kane passed to Adam Fox.
The Rangers didn’t score on their first three power plays totaling nine minutes, and it cost them when Ottawa scored twice in 21 seconds in the second to take a 2-1 lead.
The goals were by Franklin Square native Shane Pinto and then former Ranger Derick Brassard, who earlier was congratulated by the Rangers and the home crowd for playing in his 1,000th NHL game (254 of them for the Rangers).
The Rangers tied it on a backhander by Jacob Trouba at 12:15 and Vladimir Tarasenko - the Rangers’ other big recent acquisition— made it 3-2 at 14:54 with his fourth goal in 11 games since the trade.
Rangers fans figure to have a lot to celebrate after all the things the team had to do to bring Kane on board, and Kane — while expecting a few butterflies before his first NHL game for someone other than Chicago — was expecting he’d have plenty of fun, too.
“I just feel like this is such an amazing opportunity, with what they have going on here in New York,’’ he said. “When the option was still there to possibly make a move . . . it wasn't the easiest decision [to agree to be traded] but I’m just really excited to be here. And with this team, with the amount of skill and good players they have here, it's just another chance to make a run."
Kane, 34, won three Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy as league MVP in Chicago, but after 16 years and with the organization having decided to rebuild, it was time to go. Armed with a no-move clause in his contract, he had the leverage to decide if and where he would be traded. And he wanted the Rangers.
“I just think they're a great team,’’ he said. “They obviously had a great run [to the Eastern Conference finals] last year. It seems like expectations are pretty high around here this year as well. So I think it's a good thing. It's good to have those expectations and have people thinking that you're going to win."
Kane could have made his debut Wednesday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers, but management decided to hold him out until Thursday. When he didn’t go to Philadelphia, Kane went to the Rangers’ practice facility in Greenburgh, which they share with the Knicks. There, he met Jalen Brunson, who grew up outside Chicago, and is a fan of his.
Brunson said he FaceTimed his father and put Kane on the line, and then wore Kane’s No. 88 Rangers jersey to the Knicks' game against the Nets on Wednesday night.
“It was pretty cool,’’ Kane said of seeing Brunson wear his jersey. “I was talking to [Brunson] for a little bit and he said he was looking forward to coming to a game, and you know, vice versa. I would love to go to a Knicks game and support him as well.
“So it seems like, just the energy in the city, throughout the organization, is at a pretty big high right now. I’m excited to be part of that."
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
