The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to send star winger Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
In return, the Rangers are sending two draft picks to Chicago — a 2023 second round pick, which carries conditions to improve to a first-round pick, as well as a 2023 fourth round pick.
The deal is expected to become official after 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday when New York has accrued the appropriate amount of cap space to fit in Kane’s contract. Chicago will retain 50% of Kane’s $10.5 million contract, sources told ESPN, and the Arizona Coyotes signed on to take on 50% of that, meaning Kane will only count for $2.625 million against the Rangers’ cap.
The trade call is scheduled for later Tuesday, sources told ESPN.
Kane is expected to travel to the East Coast on Tuesday and could debut for the Rangers as soon as Wednesday in Philadelphia.
The 34-year-old Kane, the No. 1 overall pick by the Blackhawks in 2007 and a three-time Stanley Cup champion, is in the final year of an eight-year deal that carried a no-movement clause. The winger forced Chicago’s hand to go to his preferred destination, which significantly lowered the potential return for the Blackhawks.
The 2023 second round pick will become a first-rounder if the Rangers make the Eastern Conference Finals. However, that first-round pick would be in either 2024 or 2025.
Dealing away Kane represents Chicago’s official turn away from its championship era as it rebuilds through the draft with a new management team and coaching staff in place.
The Rangers initially only wanted to add one high-end winger at the trade deadline, according to multiple sources, and chose Vladimir Tarasenko of the Blues over Kane earlier this month.
“It’s not, like, the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade,” Kane told reporters shortly after. According to sources, multiple teams tried to pursue Kane — including the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers — however the winger pushed behind the scenes to still go to the Rangers.
Kane has been receiving treatment for a hip injury this year, which is one of the reasons the Rangers initially hit pause on acquiring the veteran, sources told ESPN. Kane told reporters that the severity of that injury had been overblown, and then went on a tear — scoring seven goals and 10 points in his four most recent games, before leaving the Blackhawks West Coast road trip on Saturday to return home to Chicago once the Rangers trade materialized.
In New York, Kane will be reunited with Artemi Panarin — his linemate for two seasons in Chicago, including Panarin’s Calder Trophy-winning rookie year in 2015-16.
A native of Buffalo, New York, Kane topped 20 goals in 14 of his 15 seasons before this year. And last year, as the rebuild was just beginning to take shape in Chicago, he still managed 26 goals and 92 points.